The Saeima Citizenship, Migration and Social Cohesion Committee held a meeting in Riga focusing on the integration of Belarusian refugees in Latvia. The meeting was also attended by the Latvian Ambassador to Belarus, Einars Semanis, the Representative of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Office in Estonia and Latvia, Vitaly Malchanau, as well as representatives of the Latvian Parliament, Ministry of the Interior, and Ministry of Education, along with Belarusian organizations and communities like Free Belarus, Sviatnak, and Supolka.
Ilva Everte, a representative of Free Belarus, noted: “The meeting addressed issues faced by Belarusian refugees in Latvia, including access to primary and higher education, as well as pensions”.
Vitaly Malchanau also commented on the meeting: “We are grateful to the Latvian Parliament and the parliamentary group “For a Democratic Belarus” for organizing this meeting. We discussed issues related to refugees, from public transportation to education. Thanks to the representatives of the ministries for hearing our voice and realizing the importance of the raised issues”.
Ambassador Semanis thanked the MPs and representatives of civil society for highlighting issues related to the integration of Belarusian refugees into Latvian society. He also invited Belarusian diaspora organizations to present projects to assist refugees and civil society organizations.
