Media release

Latvian Prime Minister and French President agree on the need for full implementation of the Minsk ceasefire

Prime Minister of Latvia Laimdota Straujuma meets with President of France François Hollande. Photo: www.elysee.fr
27 April 2015

On 27 April the Prime Minister of Latvia, Laimdota Straujuma, met the President of France, François Hollande, in Paris to discuss current issues being handled by the Latvian Presidency of the Council of the European Union and the geopolitical situation in Europe and the world.

The French President expressed his gratitude to Laimdota Straujuma for taking part in the commemorative event held on 26 April to mark the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the Natzweiler-Struthof concentration camp at which the President of the European Council, the Secretary General of the Council of Europe and the President of the European Parliament were also present. "You represented your country and the whole of Europe, and I appreciate that very much," said François Hollande.

"I greatly appreciated your invitation to this event where we met the camp's survivors and their descendants. It is important to remind young people about the tragic crimes of World War II and totalitarian regimes because this is the only way to ensure that democratic values endure in Europe," said Prime Minister Straujuma. She then stated that on 8 May she will visit the Salaspils Memorial in Latvia to commemorate the tragic events in Latvia under totalitarian regimes during World War II.

In discussing the key issues being dealt with by the Latvian Presidency, the French President had strong praise for the Presidency. "I very much appreciate the way you personally and the whole Presidency team are coordinating the work of this six-month Presidency, focusing on current issues on the European agenda, including migration".

Much attention was devoted during the discussions to internal and external security issues and the activities of the Latvian Presidency with regard to internal affairs and migration. The two parties discussed the issue of migration in Europe and the situation in North Africa and at the eastern borders of the EU, and agreed that considerable attention should be paid to the normalisation of the situation in Libya and in the region as a whole. Remembering the acts of terrorism in France at the beginning of the Latvian Presidency, the Prime Minister drew attention to common tasks in the fields of internal affairs and defence.

"Europe's internal and external security go hand in hand, and we are faced with the complex task of addressing today's challenges in these areas", added the Prime Minister.

Laimdota Straujuma was very appreciative of France's participation in NATO air patrols in the Baltic States: "In this geopolitical situation, we highly value NATO's presence in Latvia and the other Baltic countries".

The two parties also discussed the current situation in Ukraine and agreed that the EU will not depart from its position that the Minsk ceasefire conditions need to be fully implemented. Laimdota Straujuma stated that she was leaving today for a conference in Kiev, the Ukrainian capital, on planned EU support to Ukraine in its reform process.

The discussions on the Eastern Partnership Summit to be held on May 21-22 in Rīga emphasised that there has been progress in each of the six Eastern Partnership countries in implementing reforms and that each country has to be assessed on the basis of its achievements, demonstrating the seriousness of the European Union's long-term relationship with the Eastern Partnership countries. Laimdota Straujuma thanked François Hollande for his confirmation that he would attend the Summit in Rīga.

With regard to the final phase of adoption of the Strategic Investment Plan for Europe (or 'Juncker Plan') which requires approval by the European Parliament, the Prime Minister expressed her confidence that this would happen during the Latvian Presidency by the middle of this year.

Contact
Aiva Rozenberga
Press Secretary to the Prime Minister
+371 29462451