“Russia is testing different approaches to weakening the existing international order and trying to offer alternatives appealing to authoritarian regimes around the world. It is dangerous for democracies and threatens the values that we all believe in. We must strongly defend the rules-based international order," said Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica, Deputy Speaker of the Saeima, at the meeting of the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in Seville, Spain.

At the meeting, parliamentarians agreed to draw up and put forward for approval a report on the political consequences of the Russian Federation’s aggression against Ukraine. Z.Kalniņa-Lukaševica noted in the discussion that the global consequences of the Russian aggression are also hindering the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

“Ukraine and its citizens are suffering direct and cruel attacks. At the same time, Russia’s brutal war also has a huge impact on the global scale — leading to hunger, food insecurity, damage to the environment, thus provoking conflicts around the world. This is the responsibility of the aggressor Russia," said the Deputy Speaker of the Saeima.

Z.Kalniņa-Lukaševica also stressed at the committee meeting that "for many years, Russia has invested a lot of financial resources to influence societies, elections and events around the world through disinformation, lies disseminated through Kremlin-funded channels. In this respect, we must be very careful, especially in the light of the development of artificial intelligence”.

Fake news generated by artificial intelligence, as well as its opportunities for spreading disinformation, pose serious risks and challenges to human rights, democracy and security. It is of the utmost importance to find the right balance between reducing these risks and exploiting the full potential of artificial intelligence, said the Deputy Speaker of the Saeima.

On 11-12 May, the Head of the Latvian Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Deputy Speaker of the Saeima Z.Kalniņa-Lukaševica participates in the meeting of the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe held in Seville, Spain. The participants also discussed the draft report “Foreign Intervention: Threat to Democracy", drawing attention to the dangers posed by cyber-attacks, disinformation campaigns, interference in the electoral process.

The Council of Europe consists of 46 Member States and six observers. The Parliamentary Assembly is one of its largest and most visible institutions. Its activities focus on preserving the core values and standards of the Council of Europe, with the main objective of strengthening the Parliaments of the Member States of the Assembly, to promote and protect human rights, the rule of law and democratic governance in all European countries.

Saeima Press Service