On Wednesday, 11 May, the majority of Saeima Foreign Affairs Committee decided to submit to the Saeima amendments that lift legislative obstacles on the path to demolish the Soviet monument located in Victory park in Pārdaugava.
The Saeima will be asked to pass in the final reading amendments to the Law on the Agreements between the Republic of Latvia and the Russian Federation signed in Moscow on 30 April, 1994 at the next meeting, which is scheduled for Thursday, 12 May.
Amendments supported by the committee provide for halting the agreement reached between the governments of the Russian Federation and Republic of Latvia on the on the social protection of military pensioners of the Russian Federation and their family members residing in the territory of the Republic of Latvia. Specifically Section 13, which stipulates that Latvia shall ensure the preservation of memorial structures in Latvia.
Amendments provide for halting Section 13 from 1 May 2022 onward until Russia has ceased breaching international law in related to Ukraine and pulls its armed forces from Ukraine’s territory and fully restores Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty in accordance with international law, as well as fully compensates Ukraine for violations of international law.
Chairman of Saeima’s Foreign Affairs Committee Rihard Kols previously stated that if the Saeima passes the decision on halting Section 13, it will be possible «to demolish the occupation pole».
In his interview to TV3, Kols said in parallel to that Latvia should adopt a law that would provide for the removal of Soviet memorials, with terms and state financing for this endeavour.
As previously reported, the ruling coalition in Latvia has reached an agreement on law amendments intended to lift legal obstacles on the path to demolishing the monument in Pārdaugava.
This was confirmed by Latvia’s PM Krišjānis Kariņš, National Alliance chairman Raivis Dzintars, Attīstībai/Par! Saeima faction leader Juris Pūce and Minister of Transport Tālis Linkaits after a meeting of coalition parties earlier this week.
Read also: Police in Riga restrict access to Victory Monument entirely
«The aforementioned solution is legally correct. This will both secure Latvia so that the country continues acting appropriately as a country ruled by law and our obligations as a country ruled by law and a subject of international law, while also affirming to Latvia’s policy and commitment to supporting Ukraine. It will also serve as our society’s unified reaction to Russia’s aggression,» said Pūce.
Dzintars said this agreement can be abolished only by the parliament, considering that this body was the one that ratified the agreement in the first place.
«Today we received affirmation from all coalition partners that this step will likely be made this Thursday. This means a significant right for municipalities to act, including for Riga City Council in relation to this object, which is called by a large portion of Latvia’s society as a symbol of occupation and a stain of shame in regards to politically repressed people that suffered from the Soviet occupation regime in the past,» said the leader of the National Alliance.
When asked about more details about the monument’s demolishing process, Dzintars said that once the Saeima has removed the legal obstacles, the coalition will trust Riga City Council’s political decisiveness and courage in making this decision.
The legislative draft will provide all Latvian municipalities with the right to make all necessary decisions to demolish all Soviet memorials, said the Saeima deputy. If some municipalities are too afraid to demolish them, it is entirely possible the parliament will make more steps in this direction, said the NA politician.
Linkaits said he is happy that another document – the legislative draft submitted by the Conservative Party on this topic – has also gained traction to speed up Saeima’s decision in regards to removal of the monument in Pārdaugava and other memorials from the public space. It is important that on a municipal level officials have a clear understanding how this can be done quickly and in accordance with the law, stressed the politician.
Kariņš reminded that a large majority of Latvia residents is against the existence of «monuments glorifying the occupation» in the country.
«The question isn’t ‘If?’, only ‘When and how?’,» said the PM.
He said this week the Saeima will view one, possibly, several decisions related to this topic in order to break free of «remnants of the occupation».
As it is known, since the start of the Russian invasion in Ukraine, the topic of the Victory monument in Riga and the possibility of its demolishing has become a hot topic in Latvia.