RIGA - The presence of U.S. troops in the Baltic Sea region is an excellent deterrent against Russia, emphasized Zanda Kalnina-Lukasevica, Deputy Speaker of the Saeima, who received a delegation of U.S. congressional advisors at the parliament on Tuesday.
As the Saeima Press Service informed LETA, Kalnina-Lukasevica emphasized that continued cooperation with the U.S. and stable support for strengthening Baltic security are important to Latvia. She noted that decisions by the U.S. Congress and administration directly impact the security situation in the region, so Latvia is ready to provide information on developments in the security situation, as well as on the country’s contributions to NATO.
During the meeting, the Deputy Speaker of the Saeima, together with the congressional advisors, discussed Latvian-U.S. cooperation in the fields of the economy, security, and defense. Kalnina-Lukasevica expressed gratitude for the Baltic Security Initiative developed and adopted by the U.S. Congress, which provides financial and practical military support to the Baltic states.
The Deputy Speaker of the Saeima highlighted Latvia’s efforts to strengthen its defense capabilities, including the recently adopted amendments to the National Defense Financing Law, which provide for an increase in defense funding to at least 5 percent of gross domestic product.
Kalnina-Lukasevica also highlighted the construction of the Selija military training grounds, which opens up opportunities for cooperation, particularly in the defense sector. Meanwhile, discussing Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, the Deputy Speaker of the Saeima noted that it is important to continue restricting Russia in order to limit its ability to finance the war.
Visits by congressional advisors to the Baltic states have taken place regularly since 2013.
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