In an official announcement made this Tuesday Latvian Saeima’s Foreign Affairs Committee declared Russia’s violence against Ukraine’s and other countries’ civilians terrorism and Russia – a state sponsoring terrorism.
As confirmed by the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee Rihards Kols, in its announcement On Russia’s intentional military attacks on Ukrainian civilians and public space the committee invites other similarly-minded countries to join in and declare Russia a state sponsoring terrorism.
Kols said during the meeting that the committee will ask the parliament to pass this announcement at the next meeting. Parliament member Atis Lejiņš allowed an extraordinary meeting may take place 11 August.
The committee claims Russia has intentionally targeted Ukrainian civilians in its attacks and has used suffering and intimidation as tools in attempts to demoralize Ukrainian people and armed forces, paralyse the country’s functions in order to occupy Ukraine. Politicians note that Russia uses this violence to attain political goals.
Members of the committee categorically condemn Russia’s military aggression and large-scale attack on Ukraine, which is possible thanks to the support and involvement of the Belarusian regime, and invite Euro-Atlantic community and their partners to tighten and impose new sanctions on Russia to stop Russian army from continuing its military aggression in Ukraine.
Latvian politicians suggest increasing military, financial, humanitarian and diplomatic aid to Ukraine and supporting initiatives that condemn Russian military actions in Ukraine, as well as bringing those responsible for crimes to justice. Members of the parliament’s committee also propose isolating Russia from international and regional organisations and imposing similar measures against Belarus as supporter of Russian aggression.
In its resolution the Foreign Affairs Committee invites members of the European Union to immediately shut down all tourism and entry visas to Russian and Belarusian citizens.
Members of the Saeima also mentioned the victims of Russian aggression in Ukraine – thousands of civilians and Ukrainian troops – and voice solidarity with Ukraine and Ukrainian people.
Latvian parliamentarians say that ever since the start of Russian invasion of Ukraine, 12 million Ukrainian citizens have been forced to leave their homes and more than five million of them have left their country.
The announcement also mentions that since 2014 Russia has supported violent separatism and violence against civilians in Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine and the occupied Crimean Peninsula.
The committee declared Russia a state sponsoring terrorism also because of the country’s lasting support and financing of terrorist regimes and organisations – Russia is the biggest supplier of arms to [President Bashar] al-Assad’s regime in Syria, it has committed acts of terror in sovereign countries, such as the poisoning of Skrypal family in the UK and shooting down Malaysian Airlines flight MH-17, killing 298 people on board, as noted in the announcement.
Saeima members also remind of Russian armed forces’ attacks on civilians in Ukraine, including the attack on the theatre in Mariupol, where approximately 600 people were killed, the missile attack on a residential district in Odessa, where at least 21 people were killed, and the attack on the shopping mall in Kremenchuk, where 19 people were killed.
Members of the parliament also referenced numerous reports from human rights activists and international missions regarding the atrocities allegedly committed by Russian armed forces against Ukrainian civilians, including torture, rape, murder and mass detainment of civilians in so-called filtration camps and mass deportations.
The announcement was made also in response to the attack on Oleņivka Prison, where more than 50 Ukrainian prisoners of war were killed.
Deputies also mentioned Russia’s attack on the port of Odessa on 23 July, which happened less than 24 hours after Ukraine and Russia reached an agreement on exports of Ukrainian grain over the Black Sea.
«With this attack Russia has demonstrated contempt for its obligations, international order and institutions, as well as intentionally deepened the global food crisis that will cause famine and suffering in the entire world,» as mentioned in the announcement made by the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Latvian Saeima.
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Latvian deputies stress the amoral and illegal nature of Russia’s chosen tactic, in using especially destructive and imprecise weapons that injure and cause great suffering.
«By using munitions of this kind, Russia violates international law. Russian forces are using internationally banned cluster munitions to sow fear and indiscriminately kill civilians,» stress Saeima politicians, claiming that Latvia considers Russia’s actions in Ukraine «intentional genocide of Ukrainian people».
Latvian Saeima’s Foreign Affairs Committee declares Russia a state sponsoring terrorism
