Latvia’s State Security Service (VDD) does not have information that would indicate that Russia’s private military company, Wagner Group, currently poses a direct threat to Latvia, LETA reports. VDD said that it obtained information on Wagner Group’s activities constantly and continued to assess the risks associated with the mercenary group to both national and regional…
The Nordic and Baltic countries and Poland expect Sweden’s membership of NATO to increase security in the Baltic Sea region, The Baltic Times reports. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said that Sweden was joining NATO as a “motivated partner,” after 200 years of non-alignment. Finnish President Sauli Niinistö reiterated that Finland’s membership of NATO was…
The threat from Russia is and will remain real, and all NATO allies must understand and take it “extremely seriously,” Estonia’s Prime Minister, Kaja Kallas, stated, The Baltic Times reports. Speaking at the opening debate of a NATO conference in Vilnius, Kallas noted that all allies contributed 2% of GDP to defence in 1988 because…
The speaker of Latvia’s parliament, the Saeima, Edvards Smiltens, met with a delegation of parliamentarians from Japan in Riga, LETA reports. The delegation was led by Hirofumi Nakasone, chairman of the Latvia and Lithuania friendship groups of the upper house of Japan’s parliament, the House of Councillors (Sangiin). The parliamentarians discussed bilateral economic cooperation and…
Latvia’s national air carrier, airBaltic, carried a total of 1.911 million passengers in the first half of 2023, which was up 51.7% from 1.312 million in the same period of 2022, LETA reports. The number of flights performed totalled 20,290, which was up 19.9% from 16,920 a year earlier. CEO Martin Gauss attributed the increase…
The defence ministers of Canada and Latvia have signed a commitment to increase the size of NATO’s enhanced Forward Presence battle group in Latvia to a brigade, LETA reports. Under the plan, Canada will double its number of troops in Latvia. Canada will deploy 2,200 troops, with the ability to add hundreds more as needed,…
Latvia’s Procurement Monitoring Bureau (IUB) has barred the state-owned provider of electronic communication services, Latvian State Radio and Television Centre (LVRTC), to continue procurement and sign contracts for mobile telephony services, LETA reports. IUB told LVRTC to change the procurement rules. Earlier, mobile telecommunications operator Bite Latvija complained about the terms of LVRTC’s procurement, saying…
Latvia’s President, Edgars Rinkevics, met with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Riga, LETA reports. The two officials discussed the NATO summit in Vilnius, support for Ukraine, the situation in Belarus and Russia, and bilateral economic cooperation. Rinkevics expressed Latvia’s wish for Canada to expand its military presence in Latvia. Canada leads the NATO enhanced…
Latvia’s Ministry of Welfare has submitted the Council of Europe’s Istanbul Convention on violence against women and domestic violence for approval to the government, LETA reports. Under the draft law, ratification would include a reservation that Latvia would implement the convention in line with “the values, principles, and norms enshrined in the Constitution,” which stipulates…