In his address to the Members of the Parliament and society during the foreign policy debates, Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš stressed that the desire and aspirations of people to live in freedom and democracy remain strong, despite the impression that democracy is on the path of retreat.
“It appears most explicitly in our neighbouring country – Belarus. The people no longer accepted the current non-free elections and have been taking to the streets for already five months by demanding peacefully the right to a freely, openly and fairly elected government. They want to live in freedom that has been a matter of course to us for already 30 years. This is not true. Democracy and the possibility of determining one’s own destiny need to be fought for every day. Latvia and the European Union must further support the Belarusian people,” said Kariņš.
The Prime Minister also pointed to the lack of freedom and democracy in Russia, where the arrest of politician Alexei Navalny was followed by large public protests last weekend. Events in citadels of democracy, such as the United States, also show that democracy is fragile and serves as a warning to remain vigilant, particularly in today's circumstances, where technology has made it easier to disseminate disinformation and incite people – exchange of opinion is needed, but violence cannot be tolerated.
K.Kariņš also expressed the view that the Covid-19 pandemic has clearly demonstrated the need for cooperation between the countries. The European Union, to which Latvia is also a Member State, has built on a positive track record in resolving a number of issues despite criticism: first, last year, following long discussions it managed to reach an agreement on a multiannual budget and, for the first time, on the creation of a special recovery fund to overcome the consequences of the pandemic. As a result of this agreement, Latvia will receive more than EUR10 billion over the coming years, including about EUR 2 billion from this recovery fund.
Second, the European Union was able to agree with vaccine manufacturers on the supply of vaccines to all Member States of the European Union, which has enabled Latvia to receive the first vaccines and start vaccination of medical practitioners by the end of December last year.
K.Kariņš stressed that Latvia is interested in a strong European Union and the strengthening of transatlantic links with the United States at the level of both Latvia and the European Union in the fields of economy, diplomacy and security, as NATO continues to constitute the main guarantee of Latvia’s security.
At the end of his speech, K.Kariņš emphasized the role of Latvian residents in promoting the development of the country, by stressing that, historically, some part of the people of Latvia has chosen to live outside the country for a variety of reasons. It is in the interest of society and the country to maintain an active and lively link with countrymen living outside Latvia. “Our citizens, who have chosen to live, study, work abroad, are a part of our country and our nation – it is not a loss, it is potentially a great benefit, because they are our country’s ambassadors in their home countries and they are always welcome to come home - to their homeland,” said the Prime Minister.
