On 7 June 2024, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Baiba Braže, met with the Ambassador of Canada to NATO, David Angell, and military officials in Riga to discuss bilateral security cooperation, preparations for the NATO Summit in Washington on 9–11 July, as well as the situation in Ukraine and support for Ukraine, the strengthening of sanctions against Russia and Belarus, and Russia’s regular acts of hybrid threats.
The meeting was also attended by the Ambassador of Canada to Latvia, Brian Szwarc, the Military Representative of Canada to NATO, Vice-Admiral Scott Bishop, representative of the Canadian Joint Delegation to NATO, Lieutenant Colonel Philipp Breton, and the Military Attaché of Canada to Latvia, Colonel Robert Foster.
The Minister noted that Latvia and Canada share a close and friendly relationship and are like-minded partners. Since 2017, Canada has been the lead country for NATO’s Enhanced Forward Presence Battle Group in Latvia. In-depth security and defence cooperation has been established. Baiba Braže expressed her appreciation and gratitude for Canada’s contribution to strengthening the security of Latvia, the Baltic region and the entire NATO Eastern flank and for leading the NATO Enhanced Forward Presence Battle Group in Latvia and its progress towards establishing a combat-capable brigade.
Baiba Braže: “Canada’s presence in Latvia is a strong political statement of the solidarity of the Allies and a clear demonstration of NATO’s unity and commitment to protect every member of the Alliance.” The Minister gave assurance of Latvia’s commitment to continue to support the increased allied presence in Latvia.
Minister Baiba Braže and the Ambassador of Canada to NATO, David Angell, discussed priorities in preparation for the NATO 75th Anniversary Summit in Washington, where the central issues will be the strengthening of NATO’s defence capabilities and long-term support to Ukraine. They discussed the situation in Ukraine and stressed the need for continuous comprehensive support to Ukraine to defeat Russia in the war, including by strengthening sanctions against Russia. The Minister stressed that without Ukraine’s victory, there would be no long-term guarantee of peace and security in the region.
