On 17 December 2024, in Brussels, the Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dace Melbārde, participated in the EU General Affairs Council meeting on the draft conclusions of the 19-20 December European Council meeting and she emphasised that support of all types for Ukraine is Latvia’s top priority. Military support, in particular, is essential for Ukraine’s victory. There must be a strong and united EU position on the support for Ukraine.
“Military support is crucial for Ukraine to be able to protect its territory and for Ukraine to have the best possible position on the battlefield. Therefore, any delay in the decision on the European Peace Facility is completely unacceptable; the EU must be able to find a solution,” said Melbārde.
The Parliamentary Secretary also called for maintaining pressure on Russia and Belarus by using frozen Russian assets and raising tariffs on Russian and Belarusian products.
Speaking about global security, the Parliamentary Secretary called for continuing comprehensive discussions on geopolitical challenges and maintaining unity in order to successfully continue the dialogue with the United States (US). US support is vital for Ukraine.
Melbārde called for strong condemnation of the violence by the Georgian law enforcement authorities against the protesters. Officials must take responsibility. At this time, it is important to increase support for the people of Georgia, who are fighting for their future in the EU.
At the meeting, the progress achieved in the last year by the countries that are part of the EU enlargement process was evaluated. Melbārde pointed out that Latvia supports a sustainable EU enlargement policy that would strengthen security and the rule of law in the European continent.
“We stand for the EU integration process based on the fulfilment of criteria for all countries involved in the enlargement process, expecting that they would support European values and that they would possess political will to implement reforms. Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine has strengthened the need for unity and solidarity between the EU and its partners, especially the need for the countries that are part of the EU enlargement process to a align their foreign policy with the EU's Common Foreign and Security Policy.”
During the exchange of views on the EU’s relations with the United Kingdom, the Parliamentary Secretary called for closer cooperation in matters of foreign policy, security and defence.
“In the current geopolitical situation, the United Kingdom has been one of the closest partners of the EU, especially concerning support for Ukraine,” said Melbārde.
As this time also marks the beginning of the new EU legislative cycle, the participants of the meeting discussed the European Commission’s next five-year plan, as well as its 2025 agenda. Melbārde emphasised the importance of close cooperation among all EU institutions to achieve common goals. As the main priorities of Latvia, the Parliamentary Secretary highlighted providing all types of support to Ukraine in its fight against Russia’s war of aggression, strengthening the EU’s resilience and readiness, including developing the military industry, the fight against the instrumentalization of migrants and strengthening the EU’s external borders, as well as increasing the EU's competitiveness.
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The General Affairs Council attends to matters affecting more than one EU policy, such as negotiations on the EU enlargement, preparations for the meetings of the European Council, the preparation of the EU’s Multiannual Financial Framework, as well as the rule of law, institutional and administrative matters.