Karins calls on US to strengthen presence in Baltic region

RIGA - On Tuesday, Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins (New Unity) met with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken to discuss the security situation in the region, as well as issues of bilateral cooperation.

According to Sandris Sabajevs, the Prime Minister's Press Secretary, Karins also thanked the United States for its continued support for the security of the Baltic States and called for a stronger US presence in the region, given the Belarusian regime's hybrid attack on the borders of Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, which are also the external borders of NATO and the EU.

In connection with the concentration of Russian military forces on the Ukrainian border, the Prime Minister emphasized that these events can be seen in the context of rising energy prices in Europe, mainly gas, which are affected by Russia's manipulation of gas supplies. The disinformation campaigns carried out by Russia and Belarus are also continuing.

Kari said that it is important to send a clear signal to Russia that continuing the escalation of the situation in the region will have consequences. "These new security challenges have strengthened the unity of the European Union (EU) countries, as well as cooperation between the EU and the transatlantic partners. Working together and complementing each other, we clearly demonstrate the strength of both organizations - the EU and NATO," the Prime Minister emphasized.

During the meeting, both sides also discussed Latvian-US economic cooperation. Karins also noted the successful cooperation with the US Treasury and thanked for the support in improving the supervision of the financial sector.

The Prime Minister also discussed EU-US relations with the US Secretary of State. In this regard, Karins has pointed out that, thanks to the work of the EU-US Trade and Technology Council, Latvia expects closer cooperation in the field of high technology.