Today, Rinkēvičs attended and spoke at a memorial event for the victims of the Chernobyl disaster at the Stradiņš Clinical University Hospital.
The president stated that the disaster occurred during a time of ignorance, half-truths, and lies - the Soviet system was not prepared for such a tragedy, and it was only after several days that the first scant news from officials emerged. He reminded that the consequences of the disaster, including radioactive contamination, will be felt in Ukraine and neighboring countries for decades and centuries to come.
Rinkēvičs recalled that Latvia was directly affected by the disaster, as more than 6,000 people, including medical personnel, engineers, soldiers, and workers, were mobilized to eliminate the consequences of the disaster, often not knowing where they were going or for how long. According to him, half of these individuals did not survive to this day, as various diagnoses and illnesses led them to an early death.
"This is a moment when we honor the memory of both those who are buried here in Latvia and all those who perished as a result of the disaster or died afterward," Rinkēvičs said.
Rinkēvičs thanked the liquidators of the Chernobyl disaster and the medical personnel involved in assisting them, expressing confidence that the government and parliament will listen to them and resolve the unresolved issues.
