On 29 March, to mark the 20th anniversary of Latvia's accession to NATO, a guard of honour ceremony was held at the Riga Castle, and the NATO flag was raised on the Holy Spirit Tower of the Riga Castle to honour the Allied forces in Latvia.
President Edgars Rinkēvičs said in his address:
On this day we celebrate the 20th anniversary of Latvia's membership in the NATO Alliance. Our Allies stand with us in all times and circumstances, good or bad.
Today, we express our gratitude to all those who made our NATO membership possible 20 years ago.
Security is a process, not an end-state. We know very well the work ahead of us. We must address all remaining issues in preparation for hosting the Canadian brigade. We recognize the importance of enhancing our civil protection system and securing our eastern border. The more and better prepared we are, the less likely it is that we will ever have to experience the events unfolding in Ukraine.
