ArmInfo. The Parliament of Latvia yesterday voted for a resolution condemning the fact of the Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Empire. Thus, the Republic of Latvia has become another state to officially recognize and condemn the Armenian Genocide.
According to the message of the Armenian Embassy in Latvia, 58 out of 100 members of the Saeima (Parliament) voted for the resolution.
As Ambassador of Armenia Tigran Mkrtchyan, who is completing his diplomatic mission in the Baltic States, wrote on his Facebook page:
Already on April 24th, 2020, two political forced of the Latvian Saeima, which are also members of the ruling coalition- the parties of "New Conservative" and "Development/For!" had made statements acknowledging and condemning the Armenian genocide. Representatives of these forces, as well as "Harmony" party since February, 2021 initiated the process of the recognition of the Armenian genocide, as a result of which a first draft declaration was introduced to the Saeima on April 23. On April 29th the initial version of the declaration was postponed for a week with amendment proposals. Another version of a declaration was tabled by the Foreign Affairs Committee, around which an intensive debate ensued and on which there has been active parallel work (by the Committee) going on for more than two months now. I would like to specially thank the Deputy Speaker of the Latvian Saeima.>
The resolution specifies the legal basis for the recognition of the Genocide, which became the 1948 UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. "The Saeima of Latvia condemns the crimes committed by the Ottoman Empire against the Armenian people, murders and forced deportations; honours the memory of all victims of the Armenian genocide and pays its respects to the survivors; maintains, that open and free discussions about historical questions are inseparably connected with the development of a healthy and mature democracy; appeals to the international community to evaluate these historical events and look into a future which we want to build free of violence and intolerance - a future where the human rights are respected and every individual can be free, safe and secure, "the document says.