Latvian foreign minister lauds Türkiye's role in mediating Russia-Ukraine conflict

Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braze commended Türkiye's mediation efforts aimed at ending the war between Russia and Ukraine, now nearing the end of its third year.

In an interview with Anadolu, Braze praised Türkiye's diplomatic initiatives, addressing a range of topics including relations between Riga and Ankara and the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Braze reiterated Latvia's support for Ukraine, emphasizing that the conflict is a violation of international law.

“It's Russia's war against Ukraine, and a blatant aggression in violation of the United Nations Charter, and every international law principle that exists for relations among countries,” Braze said.

She added, “So, it's very clear that both Türkiye and Latvia, we are firmly standing for Ukraine in terms of helping Ukraine in various ways, militarily, non-militarily, but also to ensure that the principle of territorial integrity and inviolability of borders is standing.”

Braze pointed out that Ukraine is defending itself in accordance with the UN Charter, Article 51, which allows nations the use of force as a right of self-defense, stressing the need for continued support for Kyiv.

Describing Türkiye as a "very able power" in mediation efforts during the Russia-Ukraine war, Braze highlighted Ankara's pivotal role in initiatives such as the Black Sea Grain Initiative and prisoner exchanges.

“We still know that there are hundreds of Ukrainian children that Russia has taken away. Prisoners of war are imprisoned in Russia, and there's no access to them. There are horrible circumstances, so we rely on Türkiye and other countries to really make sure that Russia stops these inhuman practices and returns children and prisoners of war and goes back to respecting international law,” she said.

- Türkiye-Latvia ties

Braze described Türkiye and Latvia as having an “excellent, unproblematic relationship,” noting their alliance within NATO and their long-standing diplomatic ties dating back over a century.

“We are NATO allies, we have a relationship that is longer than 100 years old. Latvia is 106 years old, Türkiye is 101 years old, so our relationship lasts since the founding of the republic, and it's great to be in Türkiye.”

She also noted Türkiye's growing significance as a tourist destination for Latvians, particularly families, with Istanbul becoming a popular weekend getaway. “We would like to see more Turkish tourists in Latvia.”

In terms of trade relations, Braze emphasized the ongoing growth between the two nations and reiterated Latvia's support for Türkiye's EU accession.

“We see that, with regard to the trade relationship, it's improving. There have been quite a number of obstacles that we were able to remove from both sides. As Türkiye's trade minister said, it's a new stage in the relationship, so it's very good. And of course, on the sanctions against Russia, there are issues where we clearly know that Türkiye has ensured that Russia doesn't get certain capabilities, so we look forward also to working with Türkiye on a number of other issues in that respect."

- Israel attacks on Palestine, Lebanon

Braze also touched on Israel's attacks on Palestine and Lebanon, affirming Israel's right to self-defense while stressing the need to adhere to international humanitarian law.

“Also it has the obligation to implement that right in accordance with international humanitarian law, so ensuring that civilians don't suffer, ensuring that children don't die, and making sure that there are no collateral damages in that self-defense process.”

She further highlighted the importance of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), which operates along the border with Israel. “Protection of that is crucially important. And UNIFIL is on the blue line, on the border, and it will stay there, so it's important to respect that.”

Braze concluded by expressing her country's support for a ceasefire and the efforts of the US, France, Qatar, Egypt, Türkiye, and other nations to achieve a peaceful resolution in the Middle East, advocating for the two-state solution as the path to lasting peace.

"We fully support the US, French, Qatar, Egyptian, Türkiye, and other countries' efforts to settle and find the way ahead through peaceful means for the Middle East peace. So there are also parallel processes in terms of ensuring that not only hostages are released, but there is a wider effort at peace, and we fully support the two-state solution as a solution both for Israel and a viable Palestinian state to live in peace next to each other."