NewsEuropeLast minute of the war today, live | Two ships set sail from Ukraine loaded with 63,000 tons of grain

Last minute of the war today, live | Two ships set sail from Ukraine loaded with 63,000 tons of grain

Latvian Parliament declares Russia a “terrorist state” and calls for an end to visas for Russian tourists

The Latvian parliament on Thursday adopted a statement calling Russia a state sponsor of terrorism and encouraging other countries to adopt similar initiatives. The declaration, supported by the deputies of the Saeima by 67 votes in favor and none against, describes Russia’s actions in Ukraine as “genocide against the Ukrainian people.” In addition, the institution appealed to the European Union (EU) to interrupt the issuance of tourist visas to Russian and Belarusian citizens.

The statement cites the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the actions of the Russian armed forces in that country as the main reason for condemning Russia as a “terrorist state.” As a justification, the approved text underlines Russia’s “prolonged support for terrorist regimes and organizations, as well as their financing.” Russia is the largest arms supplier to the Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria and has carried out attacks on sovereign countries, including the poisoning of the Skripal family in the UK and the shooting down of Malaysia Airlines flight MH-17 that killed 298 people. .

Latvian lawmakers recall “the constant targeting of civilians by Russian troops, including the deliberate attack on a theater in Mariupol that killed around 600 people, missile strikes on a residential area near Odessa that killed at least 21 and an attack on a shopping mall in Kremenchuk that killed 19 civilians.” The statement also cites a missile attack on port facilities in Odessa a day after an agreement to allow the export of grain from that Ukrainian town came into effect.

Regarding tourist visas, the Latvian Embassy in Moscow has already stopped issuing them to Russian citizens, except for people attending the funeral of a close relative, after Latvian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas stated this week that “Visiting Europe is a privilege, not a human right.” The veto of Russian tourists around the world has been a request from the Ukrainian president, Volodimir Zelenski, this week.

The Ukrainian Foreign Minister, Dmitro Kuleba, has celebrated the approval of the text and has encouraged “other states and organizations to do the same” on Twitter.

On the other hand, the spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zajarova, has called the decision of the Latvian parliament “xenophobic”. “Bearing in mind that there is nothing behind this decision, except a bestial xenophobia, it is necessary to describe its ideologues as nothing more than neo-Nazis,” the diplomatic spokeswoman wrote on Telegram. (Agencies)

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Latest Posts

Read More
More