Latvian PM slams Belarus, Iran for being 'complicit' in Russian invasion of Ukraine

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The prime minister of Latvia told Rudaw on Friday that the European countries must remain united in throwing their full support behind Ukraine in its war against Russia while denouncing Belarus and Iran for being “complicit” in aiding Moscow. 

 

Along with Belarus, Iran has also been accused of supporting Russia in the fight against Ukraine, something that most of the European countries are seriously worried about and they have vowed to discuss it in depth in Brussels.

 

"The primary importance for us right now is to remain united around supporting Ukraine. How and in which way effectively we could broaden our sanction policy to Belarus, to Iran which is also an important issue,"  Krisjanis Karins, prime minister of Latvia told Rudaw's Alla Shally when speaking to journalists on Friday.

 

The European countries must remain "rock, steady and solid behind Ukraine," he said. 

 

"Ukraine is a nation that needs our assistance and those nations that are assisting Russia in this brutal invasion are also a very important issue to look at," he added.

 

In addition to Iran's foreign interventions, the country has also been plagued by more than a month-long turmoil at home as protests continue.

 

Iran is currently in its fifth week of protests which have engulfed the country since the death of Kurdish Mahsa (Zhina) Amini on September 16 while in the custody of the morality police in Tehran. The use of violence by Iranian security forces to disperse the demonstrators has been widely condemned by the international community.

 

For her part, Kaja Kallas, the prime minister of Estonia told Rudaw on Friday that they are "very concerned" about the human rights violations by Tehran.

 

"We definitely are very concerned about the human rights issues in Iran," Kallas said, vowing they will discuss them to see "what are the steps that we can take against Tehran."

 

The heads of European countries met in Brussels on Thursday and Friday to discuss a range of topics, most notably introducing a new package to bring energy prices under control caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.