site.btaBulgaria to Take Part in Crimea Platform on October 24

The third parliamentary summit within the international Crimea Platform will take place on October 24 in the Latvian capital Riga and will gather delegations from about 40 countries including Bulgaria. In addition to representatives of state legislatures, the forum will be attended by representatives of parliamentary assemblies of international organizations, Ukrinform reported, citing an announcement on the website of the Saeima, the Parliament of Latvia.

The following countries have confirmed that they will send parliamentary delegations to the forum: Albania, Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkiye and the UK.

Delegations from the parliamentary assemblies of international organizations such as the European Parliament, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe the Council of Europe and NATO are also expected to attend.

Speaker of the Saeima, Daiga Mierina, said that by hosting the third Parliamentary Summit of the International Crimea Platform, Latvia is making a bid for a leading role in strengthening international support for Ukraine. She emphasized the forum's position that Crimea is Ukrainian, that Russian attempts to change the borders by military force are illegal and that the crimes committed by Russia will not be swept under the rug, as justice will be sought.

The Crimea Platform was established in 2021 as a format for coordination and consultation at the level of states and governments, parliaments, foreign ministers and experts. Its aim is to further draw the attention of world leaders and the general public to the temporary occupation and annexation of Crimea, its impact on the human rights of local communities, security in the Black Sea region, international food security and respect for the rules-based world order, the statement on the Latvian Seimas website reads.