On 18 December 2023, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Krišjānis Kariņš, in continuation of his working visits to the Nordic countries, visited Sweden, where he met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sweden, Tobias Billström, for a discussion on bilateral between Latvia and Sweden and regional cooperation, including the matters of expanding cooperation, in particular in business and the defence sector. The two Ministers expressed long-term support to Ukraine, as well as for the further enlargement process of the EU and NATO. The officials also exchanged views on the importance of, and ways for even closer cooperation between the Baltic States and the Nordic countries.
At the beginning of his working visit, Krišjānis Kariņš together with Tobias Billström participated in the “Monday Movement” rally in Norrmalm Square, where they reaffirmed support to Ukraine, underlining that Latvia and Sweden, in close cooperation with regional partners and allies, were supporting Ukraine, its reconstruction and integration into the European Union.
In a bilateral meeting, the Ministers of Foreign Affairs emphasized the historically established close political and economic cooperation between Latvia and Sweden.
Krišjānis Kariņš pledged support for Sweden’s membership in NATO: “An early accession by Sweden to NATO will make the Baltic Sea more secure. Closer cooperation and concerted support to Ukraine by like-minded countries is the response to Russia’s imperialism.”
The Ministers emphasized that, with the region’s security and defence in mind, the military capabilities of NATO and EU Member States should be strengthened. The Foreign Ministers welcomed the European Council’s decisions taken last week to begin EU accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova; they also expressed their support for Georgia’s status of a candidate country.
As part of his visit, Krišjānis Kariņš, symbolically handed over the coordination of cooperation in the format of the Baltic States and the Nordic countries (Nordic-Baltic Eight, NB8) to the Swedish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Tobias Billström.
“Close cooperation between the Baltic and Nordic countries is highly important for the security and resilience of the region,” Krišjānis Kariņš emphasized.
In 2024, Sweden will be at the helm of cooperation among the NB8 Ministries of Foreign Affairs, and Latvia – of parliamentary cooperation.
As part of his visit, the Minister of Foreign Affairs met with the Chair of the Parliamentary Friendship Group for the Baltic countries at the Riksdag, Hans Wallmark, and visited the Stockholm School of Economics, where he took part in a discussion on Nordic-Baltic response to geopolitical challenges in the region: Full-fledged support to Ukraine.
As reported earlier, on 14 December 2023, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Krišjānis Kariņš, was on a working visit in Finland.
