The Deputy Chairperson of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Olena Kondratiuk together with Speaker of the Saeima Daiga Mieriņa and the Latvian parliamentary delegation visited Chernihiv region.
They got acquainted with the progress of restoration works in Yahidne village, where modular houses for the villagers are being built with the financial support of Latvia. They also took part in the opening of the St. Olha Women's Hub in Chernihiv, which will provide psychological and legal assistance to women who have suffered from violence. In addition, they visited a kindergarten that is being restored at Latvian expense.
“Today we heard many words of gratitude to Latvia! They are absolutely deserved! The powerful military, economic and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine is worth more than 600 million euros. This is about a sense of solidarity, justice and healthy pragmatism. Latvia has promised to help Chernihiv region and is keeping its promise. The Latvian Parliament has allocated EUR 5 million for the restoration of Chernihiv region in 2024,” said the Vice Speaker Olena Kondratiuk.
She also noted that the assistance is provided not only by the Latvian state, but also by volunteer and charitable organizations.
“Every second person in Latvia donates to Ukraine! In total, non-governmental organizations have collected and transferred humanitarian aid to Ukraine worth 45 million euros,” added the Deputy Chairperson of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.
Olena Kondratiuk emphasized that when we talk about justice, it is worth noting that Latvia was one of the first countries to recognize russia as a terrorist state and is not afraid to speak about it to the whole world; consistently advocates Ukraine's accession to the EU and NATO; led the coalition of drones and allocated 1.3% of its GDP to Ukraine, which is the third largest in the world.
“I said quite frankly today in the presence of Ms. Daiga that if all EU and NATO countries acted like Latvia, if they allocated that much of their GDP, we would have won this war long ago. I also thanked Ms. Speaker on behalf of myself and the Parliament of Ukraine for the latest resolution adopted by the Saeima condemning the deportation of Ukrainian children by russia. I called on the whole world to join forces and return all Ukrainian children home,” said Vice Speaker Olena Kondratiuk.
She also noted that Latvia was the first country in the EU to decide to confiscate russian state property in favor of Ukraine, namely, to nationalize the house of moscow.
“A separate law for this purpose was adopted by the Latvian Parliament. We hope that this will become an example for all EU countries to follow. The frozen russian assets should be confiscated and used for the benefit of Ukraine today,” Olena Kondratiuk is convinced.
Commenting on the results of the trip to Chernihiv region, the Deputy Chairperson of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine noted the importance of “our friends, partners and colleagues from the Latvian Parliament, led by the Speaker, personally seeing where Latvian funds are allocated and how they are used to restore Ukraine.”
Olena Kondratiuk also called on Latvia to continue funding the demining program in Chernihiv region.