On 12 October President Edgars Rinkēvičs visited Ādaži Military base, where he met with the leadership and soldiers of the National Armed Forces (NAF) and the NATO Enhanced forward presence in Latvia Battle Group.
During the visit, President Rinkēvičs met with Lieutenant General Leonids Kalniņš, Commander of the National Armed Forces, Colonel Oskars Kudlis, Commander of the Mechanised Infantry Brigade of the NAF Land Forces, and Lieutenant Colonel Danny Vincent, Commander of the NATO Enhanced forward presence in Latvia Battle Group. At the memorial to the fallen soldiers, the President of Latvia observed a moment of silence in honour of the soldiers who sacrificed their lives in combat missions.
The President of Latvia was introduced to the activities of the Adazi Military base and sports centre, and visited the Combat support and provision centre.
E. Rinkēvičs met with Major General Jette Albinus, Commander of the newest Multinational Division "North" deployed at the Ādaži Military base. The President expressed his appreciation for Denmark's contribution to the establishment of the Division Headquarters and its combat readiness. During his visit, the President also congratulated the Spanish soldiers on the Spanish National Day, which is celebrated on 12 October.
"Your work and presence in Latvia, being far away from your families, ensures the implementation of the decisions taken by NATO heads of state on NATO's Eastern flank. I would like to thank each of you for your service in Latvia and to your countries for your contribution to strengthening the security of Latvia and the Baltic region. Your presence is highly appreciated by the Latvian society, especially following the news from Ukraine and now also from Israel," said President of Latvia when meeting with the soldiers from Latvia's allied countries.
President Rinkēvičs also met listened to the insights of the first conscripts of the National Defence Service about their service. "You are the first soldiers of the renewed national defence service who set an example for all and for future soldiers. Your experience and insights are very useful to make this service attractive for young people and relevant for the defence of Latvia. Thank you for your responsiveness and commitment to strengthening the defence and security of our country," the President of Latvia emphasised during the meeting. The President also had the opportunity to assess the base infrastructure built so far, which provides adequate accommodation and training facilities for the development of defence capabilities.
The Memorial to fallen soldiers at the Ādaži base was inaugurated on 11 November 2016, honouring NAF soldiers who sacrificed their lives in combat missions. The memorial was created with donations. In modern military conflicts, the armed forces have lost seven of their service members – the Knights of the Grand Cross of the Order of Viesturs, Lieutenant-General Olafs Baumanis, Sergeant Voldemārs Anševics, Corporal Dāvis Baltābols, and soldiers Vitālijs Vasiļjevs, Edgars Ozoliņš, Andrejs Merkušovs and Gints Bleijs.
The Adazi military base is the largest NATO military presence in Latvia.
