On 8 June, President Edgars Rinkēvičs met with Minister of Defence Raivis Melnis at Jūrmala residence to discuss priorities for strengthening Latvia’s defence capabilities.
During the meeting, the two sides assessed the progress made in the deployment of air defence capabilities along the country’s eastern border, cooperation with NATO allies, and the presence of its forces both in the airspace of the Baltic states and in the Baltic Sea region as a whole. The President and the Minister of Defence positively evaluated the cooperation between the National Armed Forces and NATO allies in today’s downing of a foreign unmanned aerial vehicle in Latvian airspace.
An important topic of discussion was the integration of Ukraine’s experience into the development of the National Armed Forces’ capabilities, including in ensuring effective countermeasures against threats posed by unmanned aerial vehicles, the conclusion of an agreement with Ukraine on defence cooperation, and the upcoming visit of Ukrainian experts to Latvia.
The parties discussed preparations for the NATO Summit of Heads of State and Government in Ankara, Türkiye, on 8–9 July, as well as Latvia’s priority objectives to clearly reaffirm targeted investment in the development of its capabilities and the expansion of defence industry capacity in order to strengthen the Alliance’s collective security.
