Latvian Political Monitor

I continue to listen to entrepreneurs' opinions on important issues. Today a valuable conversation with the organization that unites taxpayers from all over our country - the Latvian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Because SCP became Vienotība through reorganization by merging 3 political parties. So SCP = Vienotība. The successor of all rights and obligations. So in almost 20 years I have been forced to leave the team only once.

Not correct. I have been forced to change my team only once in my life! A difficult, but very right decision.

I am glad that professor Andris Skride is joining our Latvian Regions Association team! 🤝🏼 Professor Skride is one of Latvia's most experienced cardiologists, a scientist and health policy expert who has devoted his professional life to patient health and the development of medicine. 🏥 Healthcare is one of the areas where Latvia needs bold, professional and result-oriented solutions. That is why I am convinced that Andris's knowledge and experience will be a significant contribution to both the Latvian Regions Association and the UNITED LIST as a whole. Andris Skride will run for the 15th Saeima elections from the UNITED LIST. Welcome to the team! @LRApvieniba @Apvienotais_

When drafting virtually any planning document, including the Government Action Plan, it is important to understand how cooperation partners feel. That is why I met with @darbadeveji and the leaders of the Free Trade Union Confederation of Latvia to discuss their vision and possible involvement in working with priorities https://t.co/IfEvpc864n

📍Latvia has good EU fund management, but stricter investment prioritization is needed; 📍For projects funded from the state budget, control should be more centralized, today a valuable conversation about this with leading experts from @monetary_imf https://t.co/QCTElVwA9O

🇱🇻 A state that was sought to be destroyed through deportations has been restored. Yet the consequences of occupation live on in politics, law, and public consciousness much longer than the regime itself. 🕯️ Visited the event of Dzintra Geka-Vaska and the foundation “Sibīrijas bērni,” and today laid flowers in memory of the victims of communist genocide, I reflected on how long the consequences of injustice persist. On 14 June 1941, more than 15,400 people were deported from Latvia. Among them were more than 3,700 children. Thousands perished in exile and imprisonment. Then the goal was not just to take people away. The goal was to break the Latvian state, its sense of freedom, and its faith in an independent Latvia. The longer I work in politics, the more I see that 14 June is not just history. The consequences are still with us. We feel them in attempts to rewrite history and justify occupation crimes in Russia's war against Ukraine, where children are again being deported and nations' rights to exist are denied. We also encounter consequences in everyday life, where we still have to defend seemingly self-evident things – the Latvian language as the sole state language, historical truth, and the foundations of the Latvian state enshrined in the Satversme. Therefore 14 June is not only a memorial day. It is also a responsibility. A responsibility to safeguard historical truth, the rule of law, and to prevent crimes against humanity from remaining without consequences. That is why it is important for me to fight for Russia to answer for the war crimes and aggression it has committed against Ukraine. To continue work on establishing a special tribunal to examine the crime of aggression and an international compensation mechanism for victims. The aggressor must answer for what it has done. Because injustice that is not named and punished does not disappear. It returns. Always. May the memory of the victims of communist genocide shine bright. Eternal sun to a free, independent, and just Latvia! 🇱🇻

Another work week has passed. I continue the report on what has been done in the position of Minister of Finance. https://t.co/PGxwh1PIlM

📍Need to achieve targeted support for EU Eastern border regions; 📍Restoring economic development as a priority; 📍Energy as a precondition for resilience, Discussions on these and other important issues at ECOFIN meetings yesterday and today #drošība #ekonomika https://t.co/k8zV2Xw6Jy

⚖️ On 10 June, at the meeting of the Nordic-Baltic (NB8) justice ministers, the main topic was democracy resilience and the readiness of the justice system for crises. During the meeting, we discussed with the ministers: ▫️continuity of the courts' operation in emergency situations, ▫️support to Ukraine, ▫️challenges posed by organized crime, ▫️strengthening the rule of law in the region. 💬 “The resilience of democratic institutions is directly linked to state security. Courts must be able to continue working in crisis situations while preserving judicial independence, procedural guarantees, and the principles of the rule of law. Public trust in the state is directly based on the belief that justice is accessible to everyone under any circumstances.” ℹ️ The NB8 cooperation format involves eight countries – Denmark, Estonia, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Finland, and Sweden. The format promotes close cooperation and exchange of experience in strengthening the rule of law, security, and democratic institutions.

Latvia and the United Kingdom signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in the justice sector, strengthening cooperation in the protection of human rights, mutual legal assistance, processes for the transfer of convicted persons, and support for Ukraine's justice system reforms. 🇱🇻🇬🇧 https://t.co/3P0rggNuWw

So that fuel does not become more expensive - the political parties forming the government agreed today at the Cooperation Council meeting that the reduced excise fuel tax rate should continue to be applied until the end of this year.

@rolandsozolins But logically, I have something to compare with. After 4 years of work in the National Security Commission, having seen and discussed in closed meetings, now finally there is visible progress in Latvia's ability to take care of our security.

@rolandsozolins Please read the messages correctly - “Thank you to the National Armed Forces and our NATO allies for professional, precise, and decisive action.”

🛡️ The foundation of national security is public trust in Latvia. Trust in the state's ability to act when needed. Today, a drone that entered Latvia's airspace as a result of Russian electronic warfare was successfully neutralized. This is proof that our defense system is finally working, decisions are being made, and Latvia's security is being protected. Trust in the state begins when people see that the state is able to protect its borders, its airspace, and its people. Thank you to the National Armed Forces and our NATO allies for professional, precise, and decisive action. 🇱🇻