On 19 May, President Edgars Rinkēvičs met with the Speaker of the Parliament of Finland, Jussi Halla-aho, who is paying an official visit to Latvia. During the meeting, the officials discussed bilateral relations, security in the Baltic Sea region, cooperation in the field of defence, and support for Ukraine.
The President highly valued the close relations between Latvia and Finland, including active cooperation between the parliaments of the two countries. “We are like-minded countries and close cooperation partners within the European Union and NATO. Together, we are committed to the security of the Baltic Sea and NATO’s eastern flank, continuously investing in strengthening our defence capabilities. In recent years, Latvia and Finland have maintained a very active political dialogue and exchange of visits at the presidential, parliamentary, governmental, and expert levels. I am confident that this close cooperation will continue after the parliamentary elections in both Latvia and Finland,” noted E. Rinkēvičs.
The President also expressed appreciation for concrete examples of cooperation in the defence industry, as well as for the support provided by the Finnish Border Guard in protecting Latvia’s eastern border. “Together, we are producing “Patria” armoured vehicles, which have been delivered to Ukraine to fight against Russian aggression. We are working on establishing an artillery ammunition assembly plant, and we are also cooperating in the field of border security, not only by exchanging experience, but also through Finland’s practical support for Latvia in guarding the eastern border. It is essential that we work together to find effective and long-term solutions as quickly as possible to security challenges such as protecting airspace against drones,” emphasised E. Rinkēvičs.
President of Latvia also stressed the need to continue support for Ukraine and to make use of Ukraine’s experience in strengthening the defence industry and accelerating the introduction of innovations, given the security challenges faced by NATO and European Union member states.
