“We believe in a world and a future where Ukraine has prevailed, where every last occupant has been expelled from Ukrainian territory, where Ukraine is whole and free, part of the EU and NATO. Here in Latvia, we know the importance of never recognising foreign occupation by an aggressor state. We will never recognise the illegal annexation by Russia of any part of Ukraine. We must provide justice to the people of Crimea and of Ukraine as a whole. There can be no justice for the Ukrainian people without accountability for crimes committed by Russia,” the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Baiba Braže, underlined at the opening of the Third Parliamentary Summit of the International Crimea Platform.
She also emphasised that Crimea was the symbol of Russian aggression, as Russia’s war against Ukraine began in 2014, when Russia bluntly shattered international law and attacked Ukraine’s territorial integrity and independence. “As the last remaining colonial power in Europe, Russia seeks to destroy our fundamental freedoms and human rights. It is the greatest threat to not only Ukrainian, but also European and global security; therefore, Russia must be stopped. Today, we gather in Riga to energise our efforts and help Ukraine achieve victory over the aggressor,” Baiba Braže noted.
The Foreign Minister also reaffirmed Latvia’s unwavering commitment to continued provision of Ukraine with military, financial and humanitarian support, and to calling on our allies and partners to do the same.
This week, on 23 and 24 October, Riga is hosting the Third Parliamentary Summit of the International Crimea Platform. The aim of the summit is 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 brings together delegations from around 40 countries of the world.
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.
