In preparation for Latvia's Presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, President Egils Levits today met with H.E. Ms Marija Pejčinović Burić, Secretary General of the Council of Europe, at the Riga Castle.
During the meeting, President Levits and Secretary General of the Council of Europe Ms Pejčinović Burić discussed the priorities and tasks of the Latvian presidency, as well as the forthcoming Fourth Summit of the Heads of the Member States of the Council of Europe, which will be held in Reykjavik, Iceland, on 16 and 17 May. One of the central issues of the summit will be Russia's responsibility for aggression and war crimes in Ukraine, and the CE is currently actively working on the establishment of a damage register as an integral part of the compensation mechanism, the CE Secretary General informed. The President of Latvia noted that the compensation mechanism and the register of damages are part of the international mechanism to hold Russia accountable. Therefore Latvia supports the establishment of such a mechanism and register and would work intensively on the implementation of the register during the presidency.
During the meeting, the President of Latvia and the Secretary General of the CE also discussed the development and implementation of various CE conventions. In particular, the CE Convention on artificial intelligence and human rights. Taking into account the parallel work taking place in the European Union, President Levits called on the CE to move forward dynamically in regulating such a topical challenge.
As previously reported, Latvia for the second time will chair the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe from 17 May to 15 November this year. The thematic priorities of the Latvian presidency will be democracy and strengthening the rule of law, promoting freedom of speech, safety of journalists and the digital agenda of the CE, as well as promotion CE reforms.
