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Belarusian lawmakers slam flag incident in Latvia as violation of international law

In relation to the incident with the Belarus flag in Riga, Belarus' lower house of parliament called the actions of Latvia unacceptable

MINSK, May 25. /TASS/. Lawmakers from Belarus’ lower house of parliament adopted a statement on Tuesday in light of the recent incident involving the national flag displayed in Latvia, branding it as a violation of international law and continuation of Riga’s hostile policy towards Minsk, the BelTA news agency reports.

"Members of the Council of the Republic (upper house — TASS) and the House of Representatives of the Belarusian National Assembly (parliament — TASS) were outraged by the reports of actions taken against the state flag of Belarus in Riga. This act is the continuation of Latvia’s hostile policy towards Belarus. The Belarusian National Assembly views it as a violation of international law," the agency quoted the statement.

Lawmakers stressed, "the provocations by Latvian officials are chipping away the remnants of trust between the states, creating tensions and indefinitely delaying the normalization of ties."

"We note that Latvia’s unacceptable actions were not met with condemnation in other European countries. And it is this tacit agreement that erodes the universally accepted foundations of international relations. The Belarusian National Assembly demands that Latvia’s political leadership immediately take steps to prevent support for any actions aimed at destabilizing the sphere of international relations," the statement reads.

On Monday, a white-red-white flag was put up in place of the Belarusian flag that had been hoisted near the hotel in downtown Riga where national teams participating in the 2021 IIHF World Championship are staying. The local LETA news agency reported that the move was carried out personally by Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics and Riga Mayor Martins Stakis.

The Latvian ambassador to Minsk was summoned to the Belarusian Foreign Ministry following the incident and was handed a note of protest. The ministry also expelled the Latvian envoy and all embassy staffers, telling them to leave the country within 48 hours.

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