“There have been wide, in-depth discussions about the collective application submitted to the Saeima on Latvia’s non-accession to the Istanbul Convention. We have spoken with experts and our residents, their opinions and arguments,” said chairman of Saeima’s Foreign Affairs Committee Rihards Kols on Wednesday, the 27th of September.
“We have to prevent violation, and we need to use all available tools, but we cannot ignore the risks and liabilities arising from ambiguously interpreted and debatable regulatory enactments,” said Kols.
Saeima’s press-service reports that during this meeting deputies discussed the collective application “On Latvia’s non-accession to the Istanbul Convention”. The committee decided to conceptually support the initiative described in the application –
non-ratification of the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence (Istanbul Convention) and withdrawal of Latvia’s accession to the European Commission’s invitation to sign and ratify the Istanbul Convention.
The Foreign Affairs Committee will prepare an act with an invitation to the Saeima to not join the Istanbul Convention, as Rihards Kols confirmed. The Saeima will need to decide on this proposal, the statement mentions.
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