Today and tomorrow, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Riigikogu (Parliament of Estonia) Marko Mihkelson meets with the Chairs of the Foreign Affairs Committees of the Parliaments of the Nordic Countries and the Baltic States (NB8) in Riga, Latvia. The main topics to be discussed at the meeting are Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, NATO’s cooperation with neighbouring countries and the spread of false information. It is also planned to hold a video conference with the members of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Parliament of Ukraine.

Mihkelson said that the latest news about the crimes committed against the people of Ukraine, which had taken on the proportions of genocide, were horrifying. “The only acceptable solution will be the total victory of Ukraine. In order to achieve this, harsher sanctions, and all types of military aid to Ukraine are needed,” Mihkelson stated. He added that Russia’s aggression in Ukraine was accompanied by information war, and it was of crucial importance that false information was exposed and propaganda would not be given screen time. The Chairman welcomed the fact that, for the first time in several years, all Nordic and Baltic Chairs of Foreign Affairs Committees could meet physically to discuss issues of importance to us.

Today, the Nordic and Baltic Chairs of Foreign Affairs Committees will visit Ādaži Military Base and meet with State Secretary of Ministry of Defence of Latvia Jānis Garisons, with whom they will speak about the NATO Summit that will be held in Madrid in June, NATO’s cooperation with the countries that are not members of the organisation, like Finland and Sweden, and Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.

Tomorrow there will be a meeting with former President of Latvia Valdis Zatlers to discuss the geopolitics and challenges relating to democratic and authoritarian regimes. Jānis Sārts, the Director of the NATO Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence, will speak about false information and communication strategies.

There will also be a video conference with the members of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian Parliament) to discuss the situation and the diplomatic efforts relating to it, the International Military Tribunal, the humanitarian issues, assistance to Ukraine and the European Union membership perspective for Ukraine.

The Nordic-Baltic cooperation, or NB8, is a regional cooperation format of five Nordic Countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden) and three Baltic States (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania) for informal discussion of current regional and international topics.

Riigikogu Press Service
Merilin Kruuse
Phone: +372 631 6592, +372 510 6179
E-mail: [email protected]
Questions: [email protected]