“Reconstruction of Ukrainian kindergartens and schools is a priority for Riga” – the Vice Speaker Olena Kondratiuk met with the Mayor of the Latvian capital Martins Stakis
21 February 2023, 13:45
During her working visit to Latvia, the Deputy Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Olena Kondratiuk met with the Mayor of Riga, Martins Stakis.
“We are extremely grateful for the incredible support and assistance provided by Latvia and Riga to Ukraine and Ukrainians. Since the beginning of russia’s full-scale invasion, Latvia has sheltered more than 40 thousand internally displaced persons from Ukraine. The Center for Assistance to Ukrainians in Riga, whose work I personally got acquainted with, has become a real point of strength, hope and support for many of our citizens, especially women and children who fled the war,” said Olena Kondratiuk.
The Deputy Chairperson of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine noted that the community, the Ukrainian diaspora, volunteers and the Riga City Council also responded very quickly to the problems with electricity supply that arose in Ukraine due to massive Russian missile attacks on our critical infrastructure.
She thanked the City Hall, the Ukrainian diaspora and the people of Riga for donating dozens of buses, more than 80 generators, 100 heat guns and 130 tons of humanitarian aid to Kyiv’s sister city.
“We thank Riga for financing certain projects to restore water supply in Mykolaiv for 200 thousand euros and rebuilding a bomb shelter in a school in Nizhyn,” said the Vice Speaker.
“We have a lot in common, and every day we ask ourselves what else we can do for Ukraine. Helping Ukraine is important to us from a political point of view. It has united society – Latvians, the opposition and the government. Restoration of Ukrainian kindergartens and schools is a priority for the Riga City Council,” said the Mayor of Riga Martins Stakis.
The participants of the meeting also discussed the current activities of the Ukrainian Support Center in Riga. Every day it is visited by 600-700 people. The Center organizes labor exchanges, as the biggest demand among Ukrainians is assistance with job search and language learning. At the same time, all the language courses organized for Ukrainians are filled up in just a few hours.
“The Mayor of Riga assured me that Ukrainians living in the Latvian capital have the same rights and opportunities as local residents. They are guaranteed by the law,” said Olena Kondratiuk.