“Amid Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, an unwavering commitment to protecting democracy, human rights and the rule of law in Europe is highly important. I welcome the role and actions of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, which was one of the first international institutions to call for a Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine to be established. We must continue working together to hold Russia accountable for international human rights violations it has perpetrated,” underlined the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Baiba Braže, as she met with the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), Theodoros Roussopoulos, and the Head of the Latvian Delegation to PACE, Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica.
The officials discussed support to Ukraine, the process of creating a Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine, and the work of the Register of Damage, as well as threat of foreign disinformation and cyber threat, especially that of Russia. The Minister drew attention to the Latvian Government having approved additional funding of 1,736 million euros in support of Ukraine last week, a part of which will be channelled towards the Council of Europe’s Register of Damage.
Theodoros Roussopoulos with a delegation is on a visit in Latvia to take part in the Third Parliamentary Summit of the International Crimea Platform hosted by Riga this week, on 23 and 24 October. The event aims to highlight the global impact of Russia’s aggression and continue to shed light at the international level on the crimes committed by the aggressor and promote international support to Ukraine. The summit will bring together delegations from around 40 countries of the world.
The PACE President welcomed Latvia’s efforts of protecting democracy and human rights at the Council of Europe and commended the active work of the Latvian delegation to PACE.
About the Council of Europe
- The Council of Europe, created in 1949, is the oldest political organisation in Europe and includes 46 European countries. The organisation aims at safeguarding human rights, democracy and the rule of law, achieving the uniformity of social and legal standards in the Member States, raising awareness of European identity and its values that includes the cultures of different European peoples. Latvia became a member state of the Council of Europe in 1995.
- Following the war of aggression launched against Ukraine on 22 February 2024, Russia was expelled from the Council of Europe on 16 March 2022. At present, the Council of Europe has set as its main objective to support Ukraine against Russian aggression, ensure justice and hold the perpetrators accountable.
- The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) is one of the largest statutory bodies of the Council of Europe, convening parliamentarians from the Council of Europe’s member states for regular session.
About the Parliamentary Summit of the International Crimea Platform
- Hosting the Parliamentary Summit of the International Crimea Platform in Riga is part of Latvia’s comprehensive support to Ukraine and contribution to strengthening the rules-based international order. The event is organised by the Saeima (the Latvian Parliament) in close cooperation with the Parliament of Ukraine – the Verkhovna Rada.
- The International Crimea Platform was established in 2021 as a format for coordination and consultations at the level of states and governments, parliaments, foreign ministers, and experts created to raise awareness among world leaders and the wider public of the temporary occupation and annexation of the Crimean Peninsula, its negative impact on the human rights of local population, security in the Black Sea region, global food security, and the rules‑based global order. The two previous parliamentary summits of the Crimea Platform took place in Zagreb and Prague.
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