“There is a considerable Latvian community in Ireland, actively contributing to Irish society and economy. At the same time, it is important for us to make sure our fellow compatriots preserve their bond with their homeland, their national identity and culture. Protection of Latvian citizens’ interests abroad is one of the priorities of the Parliament,” underlined Ināra Mūrniece, Speaker of the Saeima, while meeting with Seán Ó Fearghaíl, Chairperson of the Lower House of the Parliament of Ireland, on Monday, 28 May.

On Thursday, 17 May, Ināra Mūrniece, Speaker of the Saeima, met in Kramatorsk with Pavlo Zhebrivskyi, Head of the Donetsk Regional State Administration. The Speaker of the Saeima promised her host Latvia’s continued steadfast support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. Zhebrivskyi thanked Speaker Mūrniece and the accompanying Members of the Saeima for their visit, emphasising its significance. “We do not feel abandoned to fend for ourselves against the aggressor,” Zhebrivskyi said.  

On Wednesday, 16 May, Ināra Mūrniece, Speaker of the Saeima, met with Andriy Parubiy, Chair of the Ukrainian parliament. Speaker Mūrniece noted that “Latvia has always supported and will continue to support Ukraine both politically and practically. It is crucial to carry on the undertaken reforms in order to further the national development of Ukraine. Latvia will continue to share its reform experience with Ukraine, including in the areas of good governance, corruption prevention, education and agriculture.”

On Friday, 4 May, Ināra Mūrniece, Speaker of the Saeima, addressed the ceremonial sitting of the Saeima in honour of the 28th anniversary of the restoration of independence of the Republic of Latvia. In her address, Spearker Mūrniece emphasised that: “Latvia is a part of us, and it genuinely needs us. Just as the members of the Supreme Council were when voting in favour of restoring the independence of Latvia, today we must also be great in what we think and what we do to be able to defend our Latvia.”

From now on, banks registered in Latvia will be prohibited to do business with shell companies and service their accounts. On Thursday, 26 April, the Saeima adopted amendments in the Law on the Prevention of Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing, banning shell companies.

On Thursday, 26 April, the Saeima deliberated on the second revision amendments to the Public procurement Law, supplementing it with a prohibition for companies registered in tax havens or tax-free jurisdictions to participate in public procurement, as well as updating the definition of offshore.

On Tuesday, 24 April, Ināra Mūrniece, Speaker of the Saeima, participated in the Conference of Speakers of the EU Parliaments in Tallinn. In a keynote speech delivered during the session on the security and defence of the EU, the Speaker emphasised that a close security cooperation between the European Union and NATO has never been as important as it is now, especially in the area of cybersecurity and hybrid-threats.

“Latvia welcomes comprehensive reforms implemented by the political leadership of Uzbekistan. Better investment and business climate, in particular, will create new opportunities for strengthening bilateral economic cooperation,” underlined Ināra Mūrniece, Speaker of the Saeima, on Tuesday, April 17, while meeting with high-level Uzbek officials in Tashkent.

On Friday, 13 April, concluding the 8th Youth Parliament, the title of Future Politician was awarded to Ieva Strupa, Rota Lāce, Ludmila Moisejenkova and Elīna Repse. These young people were particularly active in sectoral committees and involved in discussions on draft declarations of the Youth Parliament.