Latvia's ruling parties remain divided on refugees ahead of EU ministerial meeting

Partners in Latvia's center-right coalition government remained divided on the resettlement of refugees across Europe as EU justice and interior ministers were gathering for a meeting in Brussels on Monday.

Latvian Interior Minister Rihards Kozlovskis was not going to the ministerial meeting in Brussels because his country lacked an official position on the refugees. It also means that Latvia will be abstaining from voting on the issue.

While the center-right Unity party, the leader of the tripartite coalition, supports the admission of additional refugees in Latvia, the two other coalition partners, the right-wing National Alliance and the centrist Greens and Farmers Union (ZZS), are standing by their position that Latvia cannot afford to take in more refugees fleeing warfare in countries like Syria.

Unity leader Solvita Aboltina described the situation as a "constitutional crisis" on Monday warning that the disagreements might threaten the stability of the government, and Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics admitted earlier that the refusal to accept more refugees left Latvia in international isolation.

Janis Iesalnieks of the National Alliance told journalists Monday that his party's stance on the refugees remained unchangingly negative.

ZZS board member Edgars Tavars voiced a similar position, noting however, that ZZS needed additional information about the refugee resettlement plan and that the coalition had to come to an agreement so that Latvia had an official position on the issue.

The coalition has to reach the agreement on refugees by October when the EU Justice and Home Affairs Council is expected to take the final decision.

Latvia has agreed to voluntarily admit 250 refugees, but it might have to take in 526 more migrants under a plan proposed by European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker. Endit