The European Union (EU) must step up pressure on the regime of Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko and introduce even tougher sanctions by attending a meeting of the Speakers of the Baltic and Nordic parliaments (NB8) in Copenhagen today, said Speaker Ināra Mūrniece (NA).
According to the parliamentary press service, Mūrniece said that the events on the Belarusian border were not a migration crisis, but a hybrid operation planned and organized by an authoritarian regime. Latvia, Lithuania and Poland are like gatekeepers holding back an attack on the entire European Union, the Speaker of the Saeima emphasized.
She acknowledged that Western countries now need a common understanding of what is happening on the Belarusian border. “These people are not refugees, they are migrants targeting certain welfare states in Western Europe,” Mūrniece said, adding that the EU must step up pressure on the Lukashenko regime. According to Mūrniece, the EU must invest in the construction and equipment of its eastern border.
At the same time, the international community must closely monitor the activities of the Russian army on the Ukrainian border, taking into account the concentration of military personnel and military equipment observed there, Mūrniece said.
The Speakers of the Baltic and Nordic countries also discussed the practice of parliamentary oversight in the regional parliaments in Copenhagen today, as well as more active public involvement in the work of the parliaments.
The NB8 format unites five Nordic countries – Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Finland and Sweden – and three Baltic countries – Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. NB8 holds regular meetings between prime ministers, parliamentarians, ministers and other officials
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