Closer cooperation among Baltic states in cyberspace is more urgent than ever - MP

RIGA - Closer cooperation among the Baltic states in cyberspace is more urgent than ever, MP Ugis Rotbergs (New Unity), vice chair of the Baltic Assembly (BA) Security and Defense Committee, said in an address to his colleagues on Friday.

As the Saeima Press Service informed LETA, nowhere else is the need for cooperation more urgent than in cyberspace, Rotbergs emphasized. He emphasized that an attack can spread across networks within a matter of seconds. Information can be stolen, manipulated, or disrupted even before traditional response mechanisms are activated.

Parliamentarians from the Baltic states, including members of the Latvian delegation and its head, Janis Vucans (Greens/Farmers), were in Tallinn on Friday preparing for the 45th session of the BA, which will take place on October 23 in Tallinn, and also discussed the work accomplished over the past year.

Rotbergs called for efforts to establish a Baltic cyber command, as well as to organize coordinated regional threat detection exercises and to participate more actively together in international cyber exercises.

A meeting of the BA Presidium was also held in Tallinn, attended by Vucans. He noted that the upcoming Assembly session will focus primarily on the need to strengthen cooperation among the Baltic states in the areas of security, defense, cybersecurity, and civil protection, as well as in energy, transportation, digital development, healthcare, research, and innovation. Special attention will also be paid to continued support for Ukraine and joint action by the Baltic states to strengthen regional security and resilience.

Members of the Latvian delegation - Kaspars Briskens (Progressives), Liga Klavina (Greens/Farmers), and Juris Vilums (United List) - also participated in the BA meeting in Tallinn.