On Friday, 2 March, Ināra Mūrniece, Speaker of the Saeima, addressed the participants of the interparliamentary conference “Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine: Eastern Partnership and Current Security Challenges” in Chisinau, Moldova, pointing out that the transatlantic community must strengthen its cooperation and work even closer with the Eastern Partnership countries to counter the Kremlin’s disinformation campaigns.

On Friday, 2 March, members of the European Affairs Committee of the Saeima convened and agreed that a timely and effective implementation of the high-speed railway project Rail Baltica depends on a clear and strong political support from all three Baltic States. Furthermore, the Committee agreed to submit a draft decision on the support for further development of the Rail Baltica project to be deliberated by the Saeima.

Consistent continuation of the reforms is the only option for Moldova to advance toward the European Union; however, the reforms are even more important for the people of Moldova, said Ināra Mūrnieces, Speaker of the Saeima, during a meeting with Adrian Candu, President of the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova, and Iurie Leancă, Deputy Prime Minister, in Chisinau, Moldova.

According to Inese Lībiņa-Egnere, Chair of the Saeima National Security Committee, the Committee held a meeting on Monday, 19 February, to discuss the arrest of the Governor of the Bank of Latvia Ilmārs Rimšēvičs and the current status of ABLV Bank with representatives from various relevant institutions.

On Wednesday, 14 February, Ināra Mūrniece, Speaker of the Saeima, met with Rt. Hon. John Bercow, Speaker of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, who is on an official visit to Latvia, first Speaker-level visit since 2000. Speaker Mūrniece expressed appreciation of the United Kingdom’s contribution in strengthening the security of the Baltic States and underlined the importance of further developing close partnership in such core areas as security, defence and foreign policy.

On Thursday, 8 February, the Saeima approved the draft decision “On the proposal to introduce sanctions against the officials connected to the Sergei Magnitsky case” elaborated by the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Saeima. The decision tasks the Cabinet of Ministers with taking appropriate steps to include 49 individuals from Russia in the persona non grata list, banning them from entering the territory of the Republic of Latvia. 

On Thursday, 25 January, at the annual Foreign Policy Debate at the Saeima Ināra Mūrniece, Speaker of the Latvian Parliament, stated: “In the upcoming elections this autumn, voters will decide on who will shape Latvia’s foreign policy and what it will be. Our greatest responsibility is and will be the strengthening of Latvia’s independence and security”.

On Wednesday, 24 January, the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Saeima supported the introduction of sanctions against the officials connected to the Sergei Magnitsky case. The Committee has drafted a Saeima decision tasking the Cabinet of Ministers to take appropriate steps to ban 49 individuals from entering the territory of the Republic of Latvia, i.e., including them in the persona non grata list.

On Tuesday, 16 January, Irakli Kobakhidze, Chairperson of the Georgian parliament, visited the Parliament of the Republic of Latvia, Saeima, where he and Ināra Mūrniece, Speaker of the Saeima, signed the strategic partnership memorandum between the Parliament of Georgia and the Saeima. The memorandum is a commitment to develop strategic partnership and deepen parliamentary cooperation.