Beate Barkāne-Iļjenkova, the head of the office of the new Latvian Minister of the Interior Rihards Kozlovskis, reports that Igors Rajevs will continue serving as the ministry’s parliamentary secretary. He is a Saema deputy elected to the parliament from the Combined List (AS) faction.
The politician decided to leave the faction. He explained his decision with how he felt “in the minority” in this faction.
Kozlovskis explains in a press-statement: “The minister’s bureau was composed in accordance with my priorities in the interior affairs sector. The bureau, as I mentioned earlier, is composed to be small – to ensure stable cooperation with the Seaima and communication with society and the media.”
Rajevs will remain in charge of the Civil Protection Work Group under the minister. He will focus on border infrastructure construction-related topics. He will also continue working in the Saeima on internal affairs issues both in the Defence, Internal Affairs and Anti-Corruption Commission and in the Commission on Citizenship, Migration and Social Cohesion.
Rajevs will work in the Saeima as an independent deputy.
“Following the order of the previous minister of the interior, the civil protection work group was managed by parliamentary secretary Igors Rajevs. The minister received positive feedback about his accomplishments and professional approach. This is why I am happy Mr. Rajevs has agreed to remain in this post. This will allow him to work on priority tasks without run-up. The order on Igor Rajevs’ approval in the post of parliamentary secretary to the Ministry of the Interior tomorrow [Tuesday, the 26th of September]. It predict Mr. Rajevs will have become an independent deputy in the Saeima by then,” the minister said.
Igors Rajevs comments on this situation: “I am happy that Minister of the Interior Rihards Kozlovskis values my experience and contribution to the interior sector. I am prepared to continue already initiated efforts to create an effective crisis management system in Latvia. We will also have to intensely work to reinforce Latvia’s eastern border infrastructure within established terms.”
The statement from the minister also mentions that Barkāne-Iļjenkova “will work together with the advisor Elīna Bīviņa to establish operational communication the public, the media included, other state and municipal administration institutions and the non-government sector”.
With this decision by Rajevs
Evika Siliņa’s government will have support from 54 Saeima deputies.
Igors Rajevs born in 1965 is a colonel in reserve of Latvian National Armed Forces, former commander of Reconnaissance Latvian Peacekeeping Force Battalion (IDB/LATBAT) (1996-2000), later Commander of the Mechanized Infantry Brigade of the Land Forces (2006-2007) and Infantry Forces commander (2004-2009). He graduated from Moscow’s highest general troop war school in 1987 as an engineer in operation of wheeled and tracked equipment, served in the Soviet army, from 1992 – in Latvian National Armed Forces.
Also read: OPINION | How many Latvian politicians remain under Aivars Lembergs’ “hypnosis”?