At the NATO Summit in Madrid, the Allies acknowledged Russia as the most significant and direct threat to the Alliance. Latvia and Romania are among the countries who are most directly affected by this threat. As like-minded countries, we must work together to implement the decisions of the Madrid Summit, strengthening the defence and deterrence capabilities of the eastern flank of NATO, underlined Edvards Smiltēns, Speaker of the Saeima, on Monday, 20 March, at a meeting with Parliament and government officials in Bucharest, capital of Romania.

On Friday, 17 March, in preparation of Latvia’s Presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe (CoE), Marija Pejčinović Burić, Secretary General of the CoE, visited the Saeima and met with Edvards Smiltēns, Speaker of the Saeima, and the leadership of the Latvian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE).

To prevent the foreign policy agenda and decisions of others from overtaking our everyday life, we—both Latvia at the national level and the European Union—must be active in shaping the foreign policy environment where we will live, underlined Edvards Smiltēns, Speaker of the Saeima, on Friday, 17 March, at the opening of the conference “Baltic‑Nordic EU Conversations 2023: More United than Ever?” at the Latvian Parliament.

On Thursday, 17 March, the Saeima adopted in the third and final reading a new Law aimed at improving the accessibility of goods and services for persons with disabilities or functional limitations.

“The path of parliamentarism is not easy or simple—it requires the ability to acknowledge and reconcile different ideas and opinions, to listen to different representatives from different regions and interest groups. In parliamentary democracy, an effective democratic instrument is needed to enable smooth and constructive legislative process. There is a need for legislative traffic rules, known and respected by all. It ensures that the legislative process is clear, understandable to the public, and sufficiently smooth. The Saeima Rules of Procedure have turned out to be such an instrument,” said Edvards Smiltēns, Speaker of the Saeima, on Thursday, 16 March, at the opening of the exhibition “100 Years of the Rules of Procedure of the Saeima” at the Parliament.

“We learn who our true friends are in times of hardship, and Canada has consistently shown that we can fully rely on it. We are close partners with excellent relations throughout history, and, at this time when the security of NATO’s eastern flank is the number one priority, we feel the friendly and strong support of Canada,” underlined Edvards Smiltēns, Speaker of the Saeima, on Tuesday, 14 March, at a meeting with George J. Furey, Speaker of the Senate of Canada, who is on an official visit to Latvia.

It is in our interests to strengthen the friendly and constructive relations between Latvia and Luxembourg. As members of NATO and the European Union, we have a lot to do together to maintain peace in the continent. We must continue to provide all the necessary support for Ukraine, because it is in the interest of us all that Ukraine wins the war started by Russia, underlined Edvards Smiltēns, Speaker of the Saeima, on Monday, 13 March, welcoming Henri, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, at the Parliament as part of his state visit to Latvia.

“I would like to thank Canada for its immeasurable contribution towards the security of Latvia and, as a result, the security of the entire Baltic Sea region. The people of Latvia acknowledge and highly appreciate the contribution of Canada and its every soldier. It ensures a strong presence of NATO troops. The implementation of the Madrid Summit decisions to increase NATO presence at the eastern flank of the Alliance is crucial for Latvia’s security,“ said Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica, Deputy Speaker of the Saeima, on Monday, 13 March, during a meeting with George J. Furey, Speaker of the Senate of Canada.

On Monday, 6 March, the Saeima, the European Commission, and the European Parliament Liaison Office in Latvia signed a Memorandum of Understanding on strategic partnership. The aim of the Memorandum is to jointly raise awareness and educate society about important matters concerning Latvia’s membership in the European Union (EU), promote broader public participation in EU-related discussions, and inform about the role of national parliaments in EU-level decision making.

“We must learn from history and face aggression with decisiveness and strength, and, as a democratic organisation, we must use every opportunity to hold Russia fully accountable for its crimes of aggression against Ukraine,” said Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica, Deputy Speaker of the Saeima, Head of the Latvian delegation, at a meeting of the Standing Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe held in The Hague, the Netherlands.