On Monday, 2 February, the participants of the Meeting of the Chairpersons of the Conference of Parliamentary Committees for Union Affairs of Parliaments of the European Union (COSAC) adopted a joint statement on the situation in Ukraine expressing deep concern about the recent escalation of the military conflict in eastern Ukraine.

“The tragic events in Paris at the Charlie Hebdo office, as well as the renewed violence in the East Ukraine and the attacks on civilians in Mariupol, are stark reminders of the manifold challenges Europe is facing. They underscore both the uncertainty of events and the fact that we must be ready for any challenges that may occur,” said Lolita Čigāne, Chairperson of the European Affairs Committee of the Saeima, in her address to the EU parliamentarians who deal with EU affairs and who gathered in the Saeima on Monday, 2 February.

On Monday, 2 February, a press conference on the Eastern Partnership and situation in Ukraine will be held in the Saeima as a part of the Meeting of the Chairpersons of COSAC (Conference of Parliamentary Committees for Union Affairs of Parliaments of the European Union).

On Monday, 2 February, the Saeima will host the Meeting of the Chairpersons of the Conference of Parliamentary Committees for Union Affairs of Parliaments of the European Union (COSAC). This Meeting is one of six events organised by the Saeima in the framework of the Latvian Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

In order to ensure that victims or witnesses feel safe and protected regardless of their location within the European Union, a common mechanism is to be introduced in all member states for the protection of victims against persons who pose a threat to them. The victim protection mechanism in Latvia will be introduced by amendments to the Criminal Procedure Law, which the Saeima adopted in the third reading on Thursday, 29 January.

On Thursday, 29 January, the Saeima in the third reading adopted a draft law that will enable Rēzekne Higher Education Institution (RHEI), in cooperation with its foreign counterparts, to develop a master’s study programme for border guards.  

On Tuesday, 27 January, Ināra Mūrniece, Speaker of the Saeima, participated in a memorial event in Poland to mark the 70th anniversary of liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp, where she stated that the horrors of war are once again ravaging the borders of Europe.

Ojārs Ēriks Kalniņš, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Saeima, and Lolita Čigāne, Chairperson of the European Affairs Committee of the Saeima, are urging the participants of the extraordinary Foreign Affairs Council scheduled for 29 January to strongly condemn the military expansion led and implemented by Russia in Eastern Ukraine, and to clearly state that Russia is the aggressor, not a neutral mediator, in the conflict Ukraine. 

On Thursday, 22 January, at the annual foreign policy debate held at the Saeima the focus was on the current security challenges faced by the European Union, as well as the opportunities provided to Latvia during its Presidency of the Council of the European Union. It is the fifth consecutive year that a debate is held on what has been accomplished and what is planned in the realm of foreign and EU policy.