«Latvia is a country that respects international agreements it has signed, and the committee cannot suggest denouncing the international agreement by dismantling the monument. However, we can ask relevant institutions to consider changing the name of the Victory Monument,» said chairman of Saeima’s Foreign Affairs Committee Rihards Kols after a meeting on Wednesday, 30 March.
During this meeting Saeima deputies discussed the collective submission suggesting the dismantling of Victory Monument.
The chairman of the committee emphasized the competence of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the review of the of the suggestion to dismantle Victory Monument, as well as review of international law, agreements and Latvia’s obligations.
Based on the agreements reached with the Russian Federation on 30 April 1994, there is no legal aspect that would allow the dismantling of Victory Monument without breaching Latvian’s international obligations which Latvia took on by signing those agreements. Compliance with international agreements is monitored by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), and it is in Latvia’s interests to affirm it follows its obligations to the maximum extent, stressed representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Deputies stressed that international agreements do not prohibit the development of the territory of Victory Park, and argued the development of the park’s territory should be viewed conceptually with attention given to historical and legal aspects equally.
Deputies also stressed that, considering the geopolitical situation and Russia’s war in Ukraine, now is not the time to discuss the dismantling of Victory Monument, because this would only increase tension in society and potentially affect the security situation in the country.
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At the end of the meeting deputies decided to prepare a letter to Riga City Council with a request to perform a technical evaluation of Victory Monument. It is also suggested to limit access to the monument for the duration of the evaluation.
Kols said after the attempt to blow up the monument in 1997, no technical evaluation of the monument was performed, and this puts at risk people’s health and safety.
In the letter deputies invite Riga City Council to decide on installing information plaques near the monument and change the name of the monument according to its status and historic importance, because international obligations do not prohibit this.
Deputies also decided to ask the Ministry of Justice to prepare by 15 April and submit to the committee a report on possible legal justifications for the dismantling of the entire monument or its parts.
In 2019 Saeima’s Foreign Affairs Committee and Education, Culture and Science Committee received a collective application from 10 822 Latvian citizens regarding the dismantling of Victory Monument. So far there have been four meetings of the Foreign Affairs Committee and one joint meeting of the two committees, said Kols.
The committee’s chairman also suggested composing a work group to evaluate the future development of Victory Park.
Saeima committee chairman suggests changing Victory Monument’s name
