With Rīga gearing up to host an important meeting of NATO foreign ministers on November 30 and December 1, thoughts are already turning to digesting the decisions due to be made.
Politics
The Presidents of Poland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania on November 25 issued a joint statement criticizing recent pressure brought to bear on the 'Memorial' organization in Russia by the Russian state. The statement is reproduced below.
November 25 sees the publication of a new book marking 30 years of renewed diplomatic relations between Latvia and Germany. Published by the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) Representation in Latvia with the cooperation of the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Riga, it carries the straightforward title: “2021. Thirty years since the renewal of Latvia's and Germany's diplomatic relations”.
On Tuesday, November 23, the Saeima passed the 2022 State Budget Law in its final reading by 52 votes to 37.
A joint statement was issued by the Speakers of the Sejm of the Republic of Poland, the Riigikogu of the Republic of Estonia, the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania and the Saeima of the Republic of Latvia November 23, in which the recent actions of self-declared Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko (variant spelling Alyaksandr Lukashenka) and his regime were strongly condemned. The statement is reproduced below and attached in PDF form.
On Monday, November 22, the Mayor of Riga Mārtiņš Staķis performed one of his most important official duties: choosing Christmas trees.
On Sunday, November 21, the Prime Minister of Latvia Krišjānis Kariņš met with the Prime Minister of Poland Mateusz Morawiecki, who was visiting Rīga as part of an express tour of the Balic states to co-ordinate the response to the crisis fomented by Belarus' self-declared ruler, Alexander Lukashenko.
Dear Fellow Latvians,
Senior officials offered their thoughts on the occasion of Latvia's Independence Day November 18.
The three presidents of the Baltic states get together for their official annual meeting November 15, with Vilnius hosting the occasion.
Six members of the Latvian parliament had still not presented a Covid-19 certificate of vaccination or recovery, Latvian Television reported early November 15, revising the figure to four soon afterwards when two deputies did present Covid certificates.
On Friday, November 12, in the final reading, the Saeima approved a law requiring members of parliament and local government deputies to be vaccinated against Covid-19.
On 12 November 2021 in New York, Latvia's Mārtiņš Paparinskis was elected to the International Law Commission (ILC) for the term of 2023-2027.
Latvian Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš was in Germany November 10 for a farewell visit to German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the end of her 16 years in power.
President of Latvia Egils Levits commemorated the Latvian freedom fighters by laying a bouquet at the Riga Brethren Cemetery on November 11, Lāčplēsis Day, according to the President's official website.
A majority of MEPs have supported the waiving of the European parliamentary immunity of former Rīga mayor Nils Ušakovs (Harmony party), Latvian Radio reported November 11.
On Thursday, November 11, the Saeima supported amendments to the Law on the Protection of the Children's Rights which provides for the determination of responsibility for the neglect of children, as well as the definition of the term “negligence” in the Law.
In the final reading November 11, the Saeima supported amendments to the Criminal Law which provide for criminal liability in the case of purchasing a counterfeit Covid-19 certificate.
The presidential chancellery announced the recipients of 60 state awards November 10 ahead of Lattvia's Independence Day on November 18.
Former Prosecutor General and director of the Constitution Protection Bureau Jānis Maizītis has died November 11, President Egils Levits said on Twitter.
Latvian Member of the European Parliament Sandra Kalniete told Latvian Radio November 11 that if Poland is granted EU funding to strengthen the border, it will also be granted to Latvia.
Latvian Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš discussed the current situation on the Polish-Belarusian border with the Prime Minister of Lithuania Ingrida Šimonytė and the Prime Minister of Poland Mateusz Morawiecki November 8.
Latvian Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš said November 8 that Latvia would continue to defend its borders even as the regime of Belarusian dictator Aleksander Lukashenko intensifies its efforts to traffic hundreds of third-country nationals across the European Union's external border in Poland, Lithuania and Latvia.
As Covid-19 spreads more rapidly in Latgale than elsewhere in Latvia, this region needs special assistance, the President of Latvia Egils Levits said in an interview on Latvian Television November 8.
Latvian State President Egils Levits is off on his travels again Friday and Saturday, though this time his foreign trip is a short one, just across the nothern border to Tartu, Estonia's second-largest city.
A planned meeting in Rīga of NATO Foreign Ministers will go ahead at the end of this month despite the fact that Latvia currently has one of the highest Covid-19 infection rates in the world.
Latvian Television has announced the return of one of its most popular and important shows after a lengthy absence.
Latvian State President Egils Levits is in Scotland November 1, joining other world leaders at the COP26 environmental conference.
In October, the polling order of the most popular parties remained unchanged, though most saw their support dip again after a brief uptick in interest from voters in September's figures, as previously reported.