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Launching a war of aggression is the worst violation of international law. One of the purposes of international law is to prevent wars. Therefore, it is absolutely necessary to prosecute Russia both for war crimes and for initiating a war of aggression against Ukraine, said Egils Levits, Special Representative of Latvia for International Law and State Responsibility, speaking at a panel discussion, “From fake impunity to full accountability”, in Vienna. Egils Levits underlined that the challenges inevitably encountered in the process only strengthen our confidence in the universal nature of the international rules-based order.  

The panel discussion took place on 7 November 2024 in the building of the Austrian Parliament and was organised by the Embassies of Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania in cooperation with the NEOS Lab think-tank. Its aim was to alert public opinion politicians, diplomats, experts to Russia’s violations of international law, both in Ukraine and in a broader perspective, since the first half of the 20th century. Accountability for violations of international law includes the aspects of both civil and criminal law. While the challenges to upholding law are encountered especially with regard to international criminal law, it is essential not to relinquish it, but to create appropriate legal solutions for implementing international law. In addition to legal instruments, it is necessary to reach out to the general public so that violations of international law are not tolerated and accepted, and there is higher awareness among society of the existing security risks in Europe and worldwide.

Taking part in the panel discussion were the President of NEOS Lab, Member of the European Parliament and journalist Dr. Helmut Brandstätter; a leading researcher at the Vilnius University, Prof. Irena Vaišvilaitė; the Undersecretary for Legal and Consular Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia, Kerli Veski; and a researcher in geopolitics and international security, head of the FACE think-tank, Velina Tchakarova from Vienna.

The participation in the event was part of the public diplomacy programme in support of the lobby campaign of Latvia’s candidacy for the United Nations Security Council. The campaign under the motto of “Together for peace and resilience” aims at ensuring successful election of Latvia to the United Nations Security Council for the 2026–2027 term in the 2025 election, at which Latvia is running for an elected member’s seat for the first time. UNSC membership will be a key instrument in pursuit and protection of Latvia’s foreign policy interests, as well as making it possible for Latvia to expand the scale of its international cooperation and thereby contributing to world peace and resilience.