On 19 December, Riga Castle welcomed Sauli Niinistö, President of Finland, who is visiting Latvia on a working visit. Presidents of Latvia and Finland discussed regional security, bilateral relations and Nordic-Baltic cooperation. Heads of both states gave doorstep statements following the meeting.
Statement by President of Latvia Egils Levits
Today I welcomed President of Finland who is visiting Latvia with a working visit. We discussed bilateral relations and security in Europe and here, in Northern Europe, in particular.
Bilateral relations between our countries are very good. We have built close regional cooperation, also in the area of security. Latvia welcomes Finland’s decision to join NATO. I believe that NATO’s decision to grant membership to Finland and Sweden is historic. It will significantly improve security of Finland, Latvia and the whole Northern Europe. It will significantly contribute to NATO’s overall capacity [once all NATO member states have ratified accession]. Among other things, it will also deepen cooperation between military industries in Latvia and Finland.
We discussed Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. We underlined the need for democratic countries to continue supporting Ukraine. Finland supports Ukraine. Latvia supports Ukraine. NATO and European Union member states are on Ukraine’s side. We provide comprehensive support, including military, economic and humanitarian assistance.
Russian invasion of Ukraine is the most severe breach of international law according to UN Charter of 1945. It is the first time since the World War II this has happened. International community must find ways to hold Russia accountable for this breach. One of the options is to create an international tribunal to investigate these crimes. European Union is also considering how to use Russian assets frozen outside Russia for reconstruction of Ukraine.
We also discussed energy security. Situation is difficult but we have the capacity to overcome the problems caused by cost increase. As far as gas supply is concerned, opening of liquefied natural gas terminal in Finland will ensure stable supply for the region.
In conclusion, I would like to underline that Finland is one of Latvia’s biggest trade partners. Our countries share a significant trade volume, which can be increased even further. In particular in areas like science, research and industries with high added value because our countries are at the forefront of new technologies.
Once again, I thank my Finnish colleague for visiting Latvia and Riga today. Looking forward to same constructive cooperation between Latvia and Finland in future!
Statement by President of Finland Sauli Niinistö
Mr President, dear Egils, it is always a pleasure to have a discussion with you – like we had today – of most important issues.
First of all, I come back to Finish and Swedish applications for NATO membership. I want to thank you and Latvia for stable and fast support of our membership. We do give a lot of value to that.
After our membership is ratified – which I strongly believe – our cooperation, which is already very deep, will deepen further. However important our cooperation is, I would point out that it is most important that we all, countries, take care also own capabilities because together we are stronger. And thus I want to congratulate Latvia on developing its own capabilities, for example, discussions of conscription.
It is obvious that we have to cooperate and develop more cooperation in arms industry, like you said, and it will not only strengthen all of us but it will also be, by standards, more efficient and even cheaper to purchase.
Our discussions and opinions on warfare in Ukraine are very clear – we have to continue helping Ukraine as much as possible, on armament, supporting their civil society, to have resilience. It is terrible to see that Russia is not fighting against soldiers but against civil society and civilians. It is very important to study carefully like the President proposed how international laws are obeyed and followed concerning this attack.
While talking about energy supply, we agreed that the situation is quite difficult, but we will overcome. I have strong belief in individuals, we find within ourselves a lot of strength to respond to difficult circumstances. And our resilience is now being tested. And I am sure we will pass this test.
I started by saying that our cooperation is deep. It is getting deeper in security and defence sector. But we should never forget about civil life, economy, business, trading. We have a lot to do and do more. I fully agree with you, Mr President.
