H.E. Dr. Gints Apals:

On a conservative estimate, there are 21 separate questions from members and more may be raised as I make detailed responses. I assure members that I will try to do my best to answer the questions one by one in order that every member will receive a proper response from our representation. Not all of the questions are pertinent to the role of Latvia as Presidency of the European Council. Nevertheless, I regard this as a unique opportunity to speak to a large number of elected representatives of the Irish people; therefore, I will gladly dwell on each and every question raised.

I will begin with the question from Deputy Brendan Smith concerning the role of the European Union, the External Action Service and support for those countries that might be nervous, as the Deputy described it, about the situation to the east of their borders. One must always keep in mind the wider context. There are several international organisations active on a global or regional basis; this is not only about the European Union and the External Action Service. I also deliberately referred to NATO as the defence alliance in that it deals directly with military threats to its members. The European Union is not a military alliance and this distinction should be kept in mind. Therefore, the instruments of the European Union are mostly political and economic.

From my perspective, the European Union and the External Action Service are doing their best, employing the means in their possession - diplomatic means, statements, public messages and economic sanctions against individuals or states. This is the role of the European Union and the External Action service.

I referred to NATO and the NATO alliance. The individual member states and their governments are responsible for the defence of the territories. There are many other international forums which are also very useful in addressing these security concerns. I refer, for example, to the OSCE and, in partial form, the Council of Europe. I could list many more, if necessary. In brief, the role of the European Union has been appropriate, while the External Action Service has also been active, given its mandate. The latest initiative is an initiative of France and Germany, coming on top of the activities of or those agreed and pursued by the European Union. I can only hope for complementary work between the European Union, the External Action Service and individual member states, including my own.

Deputy Eric Byrne asked many questions. I do not necessarily agree with all of his qualifications when speaking about the situation in my country or Ukraine. He asked about the European neighbourhood policy and the positions of Ukraine and Moldova. We recognise that there might be differences between national positions. The European neighbourhood policy concerns six very different countries. Three countries have signed association agreements that are being ratified by EU member states, while three other countries are still interested in participation in the European neighbourhood policy, but they have their own approach. For example, Armenia has chosen to join the Eurasian economic union and customs union, but it is still eager to have political dialogue and a political association with the European Union. In the future member states might look for flexible arrangements to accommodate every single member of that group according to their ambitions and objectives. At least from the perspective of my government, the Eastern Partnership is a useful platform for dialogue with these countries. It is also a useful platform for dialogue between the countries of the partnership. It is a multilateral platform that facilitates exchange and co-operation between the six countries mentioned. Therefore, in holding the Presidency and as a member state, Latvia is very much interested in keeping this platform active for the future because it opens a range of avenues in relations between Europe and these countries and between themselves. The ultimate purpose is to promote our values in the wider region, not only economic interests but also the values of the European Union, including human rights and the rule of law, for example. This also applies to Ukraine and Moldova, even in spite of the fact that not all political parties in these countries fully embrace European values. One should always keep in mind that this is an open and ongoing process. The spread of European values and the extension of our principles form part of an open-ended process. The Deputy referred to the success of specific parties in the Moldovan elections, but one should always continue dialogue and convince people that the European approach has its merits.

I refer to the Deputy's second question on the Russian-speaking population. I do not really recognise the link between ethnic origin or the native tongue and citizenship.

We have citizens of many backgrounds and citizenship is not awarded to anybody on the basis of their ethnic origins or linguistic identity. Therefore, there are many Russian-speaking citizens of Latvia, some of whom are ethnic Russians while others are not. The Russian language is widely spoken and Russian is probably my second language and my first foreign language. Therefore, the committee might also consider me to be a Russian speaker or a member of the group.

Latvian policy in matters of citizenship is very simple. Latvia will grant citizenship to any permanent resident on the basis of individual application. What we cannot accept for legal and political considerations is that the State could or should impose citizenship on a group of persons without individual applications. This would be wrong. Citizenship cannot be imposed on anyone. This applies not only to Latvia but also to many other countries in the world. Therefore, when it comes to citizenship, let me assure the committee that this is a purely legal question in my country which has been resolved using all democratic mechanisms and there is no discrimination on the basis of ethnicity or language origins.

In respect of local elections, if I understand correctly, Deputy Byrne suggested that any permanent resident should be entitled to participate in local elections regardless of his or her citizenship, place or origin, etc. The international practice contains several approaches. My country still belongs to a large group of countries that see full participation in political processes, including the right to vote and be elected at all levels, as the prerogative of the citizen. Anybody who would like to take part in those elections is cordially invited to apply for a Latvian passport. This will be a speedy process that will facilitate social integration between different groups.

In respect of discrimination against Russian speakers in Ukraine, I can only say that I do not necessarily agree because I am not in possession of any facts concerning discrimination against the Russian-speaking population of Ukraine in the past or currently. I do not even recall many signals about discrimination against the Russian-speaking population before the outbreak of the recent crisis in eastern Ukraine. For more than 20 years, Ukraine was a stable country and the international media did not report much about any sort of discrimination. I can only voice my surprise that very recently and suddenly, many mass media outlets were reporting and talking about the notion of discrimination against ethnic Russian speakers in eastern Ukraine. This was not the case in the past. This would lead me to say that the EU collectively and EU member states should do something to promote our own values and views through the mass media in the eastern neighbourhood and the Russian Federation because sometimes we might have different views on certain subjects but we then need to have a dialogue which would be a two-way street - not only us accepting certain notions but also us having the liberty to make our voice heard. This would certainly promote peace and stability throughout the region.

In respect of the agenda of the Eastern Partnership summit in Riga, I should say that the international situation remains very dynamic. Certainly the agenda of the summit will be defined in a collective manner which means that all the EU institutions concerned will have the right along with the host nation to define the agenda and the programme of the summit. We would like to see this as a venue for free and broad debate among all participants - European and those coming from partner countries. That will allow us not only to take stock of the implementation of association agreements and not only to talk of mobility but also to reflect on the way ahead. Given the dynamic and changing nature of the situation in the region, some questions are still open. I am quite sure that by April, we will have much more clarity. We should also remember that the summit will happen on 21 and 22 May. That is to say, there is still some time. While we can collectively define the agenda items, proposals are more than welcome.

The last question concerned bilateral relations and the problem of sham marriages. This is a complex issue because in the past, several hundred Latvian women came to Ireland and married third country nationals from several countries. This was a difficult situation. The trend has changed and the number of Latvian women coming to Ireland to marry third country nationals has decreased significantly. We also appreciate all the steps taken by Irish authorities to prevent sham marriages and the human trafficking element of that problem. This work should continue and is continuing. There are several international co-operation projects involving institutions and NGOs from Latvia, Ireland and other countries. Probably the best way to prevent sham marriages involves raising awareness of the risks of such marriages. At the same time, I must voice my respect for the position of the Irish Government because it is fully entitled to adopt whatever immigration procedures and policies it wishes. This is a matter for the Irish nation, Parliament and Government. We cannot interfere with the Government's decisions regarding whether or not the Irish authorities would recognise certain types of marriage.