Recognizing the occupation of Ukraine would only promote further Russian aggression in Europe, the Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) stated to news agency LETA, through its press secretary Diāna Eglīte.
Earlier in May, the Lithuanian parliament adopted a resolution declaring that it would never recognize the occupied territories of Ukraine as part of Russia. The resolution was supported by 118 MPs, with none voting against or abstaining. The Lithuanian parliament consists of 141 members.
Eglīte noted that Latvia consistently upholds a policy of non-recognition regarding the illegally occupied and annexed territories of Ukraine by Russia.
She emphasized that Latvia has itself experienced the illegal occupation by the Soviet Union for nearly 50 years and has always been grateful to its allies and partners who adhered to the principles of the July 23, 1940, declaration by U.S. Acting Secretary of State Sumner Welles, which refused to recognize the occupation of the Baltic States.
“This support enabled Latvia to adopt the Declaration on the Restoration of Independence on May 4, 1990, and the Constitutional Law on the Statehood of the Republic of Latvia on August 21, 1991, thus regaining independence de facto,” said Eglīte.
The MFA spokesperson stressed that recognizing Russia’s occupation in Ukraine would contradict the principles of the United Nations Charter and the rules-based international order. It would also negatively affect the geopolitical situation in other parts of the world.
As previously reported, the Lithuanian parliamentary resolution declares that Ukraine is a sovereign and independent European country
with the right to defend itself and determine its own internal, foreign, and security policy. It reaffirms that Ukraine’s borders are those recognized by the international community in 1991.
The resolution urges other parliaments worldwide to adopt similar declarations and calls on governments to ensure that the territories already seized by Russia, as well as those it seeks to claim, are never recognized.
The Lithuanian parliament reaffirmed its strong commitment to supporting Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders, and pledged to contribute to international diplomatic efforts to help Ukraine restore its sovereignty and territorial integrity as soon as possible.
Russian forces occupied Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula and invaded eastern Ukraine on February 26, 2014. On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a full-scale military aggression against Ukraine.