Decisions regarding the creation of a unified defense infrastructure must be coordinated with military experts from the Baltic States, Finland and Poland. At the same time, it must be borne in mind that Latvia is part of the NATO defense planning system, said Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics, praising the discussions on border strengthening and Latvia’s possible withdrawal from the Ottawa Treaty. .
“I am confident that through the discussions on our military defense plan and the protection of the eastern borders of our country, we will definitely find an absolutely safe mechanism to strengthen our country. Another aspect is equally important. “Finland, the Baltic states and Poland share borders with Russia and Belarus. If we want an effective defense mechanism, the countries must work together,” the president said.
He stressed that discussions have already begun in both society and government on how to strengthen borders, the necessary resources and conditions. The planning has begun. Specific decisions will be made by the Cabinet of Ministers and the Ministry of Defense.
Responding to questions about the Ottawa Treaty earlier this year, Rinkevich said the military’s opinion would be decisive on the whole issue.
The Latvian National Armed Forces (NBS) has already announced that it opposes abandoning the Ottawa Treaty.
On January 23, the President met with NBS commander Lieutenant General Leonis Karniš and informed Rinkevich of the military’s position on the issue. Rinkevičis said the president fully respects the military’s opinion, given the practical considerations presented by Karniš.
During the meeting, the two officials agreed that the NBS will present concrete proposals and the amount of funding needed to strengthen defense infrastructure along the eastern border at the next National Security Council meeting. The president said that Latvian society as a whole needs to be prepared for any scenario.
The president also said he invited Mr. Karniš to provide as much information as possible to the Latvian population while maintaining military secrecy on the issue.
“Discussions about the mechanisms of national defense and the methods usually adopted in this field are valuable, even if we have different opinions. What is not worthy of respect is the fact that instead of discussing practical topics, people badmouth each other. This is already a completely hysterical debate that will only undermine rather than strengthen national defense,” Rinkevičis told reporters after a meeting with Prime Minister Ebika Sirisha.
The President said he had full confidence in the Latvian Armed Forces Command.
He said he was also listening to experts who had a different opinion on the matter. The President called for organizing a discussion on this topic to ensure that potential enemies of Latvia have no reason to be happy about not reaching an agreement with the Latvian authorities.
Rinkiewicz said he discussed both domestic and foreign policy with the prime minister. Regarding security aspects, both officials agreed that the Turkish Parliament’s decision to ratify Sweden’s membership in NATO is good news for Latvia and the entire Alliance.
The President said only one country needs to ratify the treaty. Once this is completed, Latvia will be happy to invite the 32nd NATO member to join the alliance.
Also read: Construction of Baltic Sea Defense Line could take 10 years to complete
Also read: Latvian Armed Forces Against Countries Breaking the Ottawa Treaty
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