On 12 September 2024, high-level consultations on the Indo-Pacific region were held in Vilnius between the Foreign Services of the United States of America and the Baltic States.
The U.S. was represented by the Deputy Secretary of State, Kurt Campbell, while Latvia was represented by the State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Andžejs Viļumsons, Lithuania – by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Gabrielius Landsbergis, Estonia – by the Secretary-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Jonatan Vseviov.
The U.S.-Baltic dialogue on the Indo-Pacific is being intensified in view of the close link between the transatlantic and the Indo-Pacific security areas. This is of particular importance in the current geopolitical situation. Therefore, it is also important for Latvia, through strengthening bilateral and multilateral contacts, to develop closer cooperation with the region the role of which is growing rapidly in international relations and security, as well as in the global economy. It is also essential to promote further support from the Indo-Pacific countries to Ukraine and for containing Russian aggression. In that context, the consultations also addressed steps that can be taken to curb the circumvention of sanctions.
The State Secretary Viļumsons informed his U.S. and Baltic counterparts about the incident last Saturday when a Russian military drone flew into and crashed in Latvian territory. Andžejs Viļumsons underlined the need for an accelerated implementation of NATO’s advanced air defence system and the rotational presence of capabilities on NATO’s eastern flank in line with the decisions taken at NATO summits.
