On 21 February, President of Latvia Edgars Rinkēvičs chaired a meeting of the National Security Council (Council) at the Riga Castle. The meeting focused on ensuring the continuity of the operation of public broadcasters, advancements in artificial intelligence and the security situation in the country.
The Chairman of the Public Electronic Media Council, Jānis Siksnis, presented the conclusions drawn from the events of 5th January, when Latvian Radio had to interrupt its broadcasts due to smoke in the radio building on Doma Square. He also outlined the measures to be taken to ensure the continuity of public broadcasting under all circumstances. The Council called for a review of relevant action plans and requested the organisation of test exercises to evaluate the readiness of the public broadcasters to continue informing the Latvian public without interruption.
The Council also received a report from Jānis Sārts, Director of the NATO Strategic Communications Centre, on developments in artificial intelligence. The report identified both risks and opportunities associated with the advancement of this technology. The Council endorsed the report and invited the Government to assess how Latvia can better prepare for and take advantage of these developments.
Additionally, national security authorities provided a range of situational reports. This week marks two years since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Russia continues to launch hybrid attacks against NATO and European Union countries, including Latvia, to stoke fear and insecurity and undermine societal and national resilience. It is expected that these provocations will continue, consequently, national security and law enforcement authorities, as well as managers of critical national infrastructure, must remain vigilant and counteract all malign efforts to compromise national security. The relevant national security authorities must actively monitor and protect the safety of the citizens and the state.