RIGA, Dec. 3 (Xinhua) -- The Latvian government will formulate its decision on the UN Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration after the parliament has voted on the proposed agreement, Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics told reporters on Monday.
If lawmakers vote against its adoption, Latvia will not join the pact, the minister said.
Rinkevics voiced hope, though, that parliamentarians will give a serious thought to the document and agree on its adoption.
Rinkevics emphasized that Latvia would still be able to decide on its migration policy after joining the UN migration compact, and that the agreement would help combat crimes like human trafficking and smuggling.
"Today we agreed that the government would wait for the parliament's vote," Rinkevics said, adding that he personally believes that it would not be right for Latvia to reject the migration agreement and thus depart from the stance taken by most other countries in northern Europe. The foreign minister also fears that the refusal to join the document might hurt Latvia's reputation.
The Latvian parliament is scheduled to vote on the UN migration compact on Dec. 6.
