On 28 October 2010, foreign policy was placed on the Saeima’s agenda as an annual ritual, not merely as a matter for crises. In the final reading, MPs supported amendments to the Saeima Rules of Procedure: the foreign minister must submit a report on work done and planned by 16 January, and the debate must take place at the sitting closest to Latvia’s international de jure recognition day. In a single sentence of parliamentary procedure, 26 January gained a regular voice.

The amendments established foreign policy debates as a parliamentary accountability mechanism. They linked the assessment of Latvia’s contemporary diplomacy with 26 January 1921—the day Latvia was internationally recognized de jure.