The Belarusian election process and results, the visible presence of the military, arrests, and the suppression of peaceful protests dispel all illusions that the election was democratic, stated Rihards Kols, Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Saeima, on Monday, 10 August, after the Committee meeting. Today, the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Saeima held a meeting to discuss the situation in Belarus after the presidential election.

The Belarusian people have the right to freedom of choice choice and democratic election to express their will. The Belarusian authorities must refrain from violence, and they must respect their citizens’ human rights, namely, the freedom of speech and assembly, stressed Inese Ikstena, Head of the Latvian Delegation to the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), on Monday, 10 August, after the Belarusian presidential election.

On Thursday, 23 July, the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Saeima issued a statement, commemorating the 80th anniversary of  the Sumner Welles Declaration. The declaration, issued by Acting Secretary of State Sumner Welles on 23 July 1940, was an exceptional sign of our shared commitment to freedom, sovereignty, and territorial integrity, condemning the forced incorporation of the Baltic States into the Soviet Union. The Declaration served as the foundation of the United States’ five decade long non-recognition policy of the Soviet annexation and occupation of the Baltic States, as set out in the statement.

On Tuesday, July 21, the Saeima adopted in the final reading urgent amendments to the Law on the Management of the Spread of COVID-19 Infection. The amendments allow to revoke already issued or requested temporary residence permits and visas in case of foreigners violating the rules of isolation, self-isolation, institutional or home quarantine, as well as assembly restrictions.

On Thursday, 2 July, the Saeima adopted in the final reading the Law on International Schools, ensuring that children of persons employed in foreign and international organisations have access to general education, thus promoting international cooperation on educational matters.

On Thursday, 25 June, the Chairs of the Foreign Affairs Committees of the Parliaments of Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia issued a joint resolution on the proposal submitted to the Russian State Duma to revoke and invalidate the resolution of the Congress of People’s Deputies of the USSR of 24 December 1989, which condemns the secret protocol of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. The position of the Chairs of Committees is that the proposal constitutes an attempt made by the Russian Federation to distort history.

On Thursday, 11 June, the Saeima adopted in the final reading the Law on Real Estate Agent Activities in order to establish a legal basis for the activities of real estate agents and supervise their professional activity. From 1 July 2021, only persons included in the Real Estate Agent Register may provide intermediary real estate services.

On Thursday, 11 June, the Saeima adopted in the third reading amendments to the Electronic Mass Media Law. According to the amendments, television programme distribution service providers must ensure that at least 80 percent of additional programmes included in the basic television package contain content whose original language is an official language of the European Union or the European Economic Area.

Latvia will have 42 municipalities instead of the current 119 after the 2021 municipal elections. This change comes with the Law on Administrative Territories and Populated Areas adopted in the final reading by the Saeima on Wednesday, 10 June.

The Saeima is one of the first parliaments in the world to fully shift to remote work during the COVID-19 crisis. Thanks to the new e-Saeima platform, plenary sittings can now be held remotely, with MPs participating from outside the parliament premises.