Council of Republic initiates statement on ‘outrageous incident' with Belarus' state flag in Riga

At the meeting on 25 May the Council of the Republic's presidium decided that the corresponding statement would be made at the forthcoming session. The initiative was supported by the House of Representatives MPs.

“We are outraged by the actions carried out by the high-ranking political and state officials of the Republic of Latvia in Riga with regard to the Belarusian state flag,” said Sergei Rachkov.

The senators' position is as follows: this action is a continuation of Latvia's unfriendly policy towards Belarus. The National Assembly considers this to be a violation of the norms of international law. The actions of the Latvian officials destroy the remnants of trust and good relations between the two countries.

“It is also shocking that European countries pretended not to notice this outrageous event. The countries, which are trying to teach us democracy and good manners, did not notice how in broad daylight the mayor and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia take down the Belarusian national flag - participant of the IIHF World Championship. In fact, they have turned it into a political show,” Sergei Rachkov added.

Such silent consent goes contrary to the ethics of international relations. “We expect that the Latvian authorities will draw appropriate conclusions and make an official apology to the Republic of Belarus. We hope that the country will build relations with Belarus on the basis of good neighborliness, mutual respect and non-interference in internal affairs,” Sergei Rachkov concluded.