When he was Latvian prime minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs Krišjānis Kariņš’s delegation for foreign visits used private flights between 2021 and September 2023. These flights cost Latvia’s budget EUR 613 830, according to information compiled by the State Chancellery.
The interest for the special flights performed during Kariņš’s term as PM was expressed by members of the Combined List. The party requested this information. They wanted to know about the private flight services that were used during Kariņš’s term. The requested information was prepared by the State Chancellery’s Director Jānis Citskovskis.
One of the authors of the request, Saeima deputy Edvards Smiltēns, referencing the received response, publicly said that one-third if the flights were performed not through purchase of seats in a regular flight, but bu renting an entire aircraft.
In 2021 Kariņš’s special flights cost the state state budget EUR 144 800, in 2022 – EUR 332 717 and in 2023 – EUR 136 313, as mentioned in a letter from Citskovskis. Smiltēns said that
this money was spent on 18 flights in total.
Citskovskis said his party requested information regarding flights used by delegations led by the PM between January 2019 and September 2023. According to this information, delegations used regular flights for 35 trips and 18 special flight services.
Destinations of those special flights included Belgium, Slovenia, Germany, France, Portugal, Britain, Slovakia, Holland, Denmark, Czech Republic, Poland and Moldova. The number of passengers ranged between five and nine people. [Other media report those special trips were organised by Express Travel and Averoja – BNN.]
Citskovskis also explained in the letter that these flights were necessary even though because of the complicated logistical situation it would have been possible to attend events in Latvia and represent the country abroad. From the letter it can be concluded that other prime ministers had used special flights to perform their duties in the past.
In her response to the Saeima Parliamentary Inquiry Committee, Siliņa stressed the increasing role of the PM in foreign policy. It is necessary to promote international support for the interests of Latvia, as well as at the same time to provide an opportunity to return to Latvia as soon as possible, she explained.
The Combined List referenced information that states how Kariņš had used private airline companies’ services multiple times in 2023. The opposition party requested an explanation to the situation “to give the public full confidence budget funds are used economically and rationally”.
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