On 13 and 14 March 2024, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Krišjānis Kariņš, is on a working visit in London, the United Kingdom.
On 13 March, meetings took place with the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs of the United Kingdom, David Cameron, and the Chair of the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Select Committee, Alicia Kearns. The Minister then participated in a round table discussion at a UK’s think-tank, the Council on Geostrategy, and gave interviews to leading British media.
In a conversation with the Foreign Secretary David Cameron, Foreign Minister Krišjānis Kariņš thanked the UK for its contribution to the security of the Baltic Sea region and underlined the need to continue providing military support to Ukraine through strengthening cooperation in the military industry. The Drone Coalition led by Latvia and the UK was mentioned as an example of pursuit of that goal. “Our support to Ukraine must be enduring, reliable and resilient until Ukraine’s victory in the war against Russia,” the Latvian Foreign Minister underscored. The conversation also addressed preparations for the NATO summit in Washington this coming summer.
In a meeting with the Chair of House of Commons Foreign Affairs Select Committee, Alicia Cairns, the Foreign Minister welcomed the active contacts between members of parliament from both countries. Krišjānis Kariņš discussed joint support for Ukraine and the need for a long-term strategy vis-à-vis Russia. The Minister briefed his British colleagues about a recent conference, “Russia’s War Against Children”, held in Latvia and he invited the UK to work together as part of an international coalition to raise awareness on the issue of return of the deported Ukrainian children.
In a roundtable on “United in support for Ukraine: Increasing defence capabilities” held at the Council on Geostrategy think-tank, Foreign Minister Kariņš highlighted the strengthening of the Allied military industries and unity in support of Ukraine as key factors for security across Europe.
During his visit to the UK, on 14 March, the Foreign Minister Krišjānis Kariņš is also scheduled to meet with the Minister of State at the Department for Business and Trade, Nusrat Ghani, whose responsibilities include Ukraine’s reconstruction.
The interview by the Foreign Minister to BBC News Now
