On 16 March 2022, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Edgars Rinkēvičs, had a telephone call with the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres. The officials discussed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The Minister thanked the UN Secretary General for current involvement and statements issued, and he called on the Secretary-General and UN bodies to make every effort in order to ensure that the military aggression by Russia against Ukraine is stopped.
In the conversation, Edgars Rinkēvičs drew attention to the fact that the number of refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine and the impact of that were increasing rapidly. In light of that, Latvia welcomes the United Nations’ Ukraine Flash Appeal calling for coordination of financial aid and humanitarian response efforts in Ukraine. The shelling of the so called “humanitarian corridors”, hospitals and other civilian facilities deserves utter condemnation, the Foreign Minister said, adding that it must be made possible for civilians to escape the besieged cities and to receive the much-needed assistance. The Minister informed the Secretary-General of Latvia’s commitment to provide further contribution to the United Nations’ aid programmes.