RIGA (Sputnik) — Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics condemned the country's member of the European Parliament Tatjana Zdanoka who visited Syria as part of the group of the EU parliamentarians earlier in July to with Syrian President Bashar Assad.
"The meeting runs contrary to the EU general line imposing sanctions against Assad's regime. This step was unacceptable and blamable," Rinkevics said.
Syria has been mired in civil war since 2011, with government forces loyal to Assad fighting numerous opposition factions and extremist groups.
Russia recognizes Assad as the legitimate authority in Syria, and has repeatedly stated the Syrian people should be free to choose their leadership without outside intervention. The United States and some of its European allies have been supporting elements of the opposition, which is often tied to Islamic extremists, and have urged Assad to resign.
