When addressing the leaders of the B9 countries, the President of Latvia pointed out that modern world faced complicated and often unpredictable threats and challenges. No country can fully address and overcome those threats and challenges alone. “We can do that only together and united by strengthening NATO and by complementing NATO by the European Union defence initiatives rather than trying to replace it,” stressed Raimonds Vējonis at a discussion on the overall security situation in Europe and in our region held during the Summit.
In their turn, the Heads of State of the B9 countries discussed reducing hybrid threats and adapting the NATO Alliance to new circumstances and the impact of new technologies in the afternoon.
The President of Latvia indicated that with the European Parliament elections approaching, we must be aware of all potential threats and be ready to respond to them. The EU Member States must coordinate their action more and share their knowledge and experience gained at the national level. The parliamentary elections in Latvia last October confirmed Latvia’s resilience to the external impact of the results of the elections. “However, we must remember that apart hybrid threat there still a military threat exists. Therefore, we must look for comprehensive solutions that complement each other. And close cooperation between the EU and NATO is the key to overcoming those risks,” admitted Raimonds Vējonis.
At the B9 Summit, a declaration has been adopted where the Heads of State of the B9 countries express their support for further strengthening of NATO by ensuring that European and transatlantic links are maintained as robust and efficient as they have been so far, committing to channel 2% of GDP to defence spending, modernising their defence forces, and participating in international operations. The Declaration also emphasises that the B9 countries welcome and support the continued US and Canadian military presence in Europe, especially in the states on the eastern edge of NATO.
President of Slovakia Andrej Kiska, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, President of Bulgaria Rumen Radev, President of the Czech Republic Miloš Zeman, President of Estonia Kersti Kaljulaid, as well as President of Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaite, President of Poland Andrzej Duda, President of Romania Klaus Iohannis, and President of Hungary János Áder also participated in the Summit of B9 Heads of State in Košice.
