The Council of Europe must follow the developments concerning the displacement of foreign nationals near the EU-Belarusian border organised by the Lukashenko regime, stressed Inese Lībiņa‑Egnere, Deputy Speaker of the Saeima and Head of the Latvian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) on Thursday, 30 September, at the PACE session in Strasbourg.

On Thursday, 23 September, the Saeima adopted in the final reading amendments to the Postal Law and the related draft laws in order to execute tighter control of suspicious postal items, especially items containing narcotic drugs, and to extend the capacity of the State Revenue Service (SRS) to carry out more effective control of such items.

On Thursday, 23 September, the Saeima adopted amendments to the Saeima Election Law and amendments to the Electoral Register Law, which provide for the establishment of an online electoral register.

On Thursday, 23 September, the Saeima adopted a new Law on the Bank of Latvia, which will stipulate the operation of the central bank of Latvia following its merger with the Financial and Capital Market Commission.

Closing her official visit to the Kingdom of Sweden, Ināra Mūrniece, Speaker of the Saeima, participated in the traditional Baltic Day festival in the Sollentuna ethnographic centre on 18 September.

Strengthening the safety and stability of our region is our shared responsibility. We are currently facing undeniable challenges related to the military aggression of Russia, its growing influence in Belarus, as well as the hybrid attacks of Belarus near the borders of Latvia and Lithuania. This was highlighted by Speaker Ināra Mūrniece during her official visit to the Kingdom of Sweden.

Thirty years ago, the wide support of the Swedish people for the freedom and restoration of independence of the Baltic States was invaluable. In the early 1990s, activists in the so-called Monday meetings gave a weekly reminder to the Swedish public and politicians about the independence efforts of the neighbouring countries. The solidarity of the Swedish people is still important to us, emphasised Ināra Mūrniece, Speaker of the Saeima, on Thursday, 16 September, while on a visit to Stockholm, the capital of Sweden, to take part in the events dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the restoration of the Baltic States' independence and the re-establishment of their diplomatic relations with Sweden.

On Thursday, 9 September, during the Baltic Assembly (BA) Consultative Council in Vienna, the Presidium of the BA adopted a statement concerning the hybrid attacks carried out by Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko’s regime against Lithuania, Latvia, and Poland. In the Statement, the BA calls for a stronger response of the European Union (EU) institutions to the violence and attacks carried out by Lukashenko’s regime and for a sustainable solution to overcome the new migration crisis at the EU’s external border.

The challenges we must address include not only the virus, but, to a great extent, also the wave of disinformation, as the COVID‑19 pandemic has created a breeding ground for the spread of fake news. It can be as dangerous to human health and safety as the pandemic itself. At the same time, we cannot be blind to the fact that disinformation has become a tool that some countries use to promote their foreign policy goals, emphasised Ināra Mūrniece, Speaker of the Saeima, on Wednesday, 8 September, in her address at the Fifth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament in Vienna.

A new generation, born in an independent state, has grown up in Latvia and Azerbaijan, and they are learning about our common history within the Soviet system from their families and literature. It is important that today’s youth study the recent history of their country and realise that independence cannot be taken for granted and must be defended, emphasised Ināra Mūrniece, Speaker of the Saeima, in a meeting with the Speaker of the Parliament of the Republic of Azerbaijan (Milli Majlis) Sahiba Gafarova in Vienna.