Latvia and Lithuania are united by common understanding of regional security - MP

RIGA - Latvia and Lithuania are the closest allies, sharing a common understanding of the need to strengthen regional security, as emphasized on Thursday by Zanda Kalnina-Lukasevica (New Unity), Saeima Deputy Speaker, during a meeting with Lithuanian Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevicius.

As the Saeima Press Service informed LETA, during the meeting the parties discussed cooperation between the two countries in the areas of security, border reinforcement, support for Ukraine, and the economy. Kalnina-Lukasevica noted that the priorities for cooperation between Latvia and Lithuania are national security, support for Ukraine, the development and protection of strategic infrastructure, and closer economic cooperation.

While discussing the pressure of illegal migration at the Belarusian border, the Saeima Deputy Speaker thanked Lithuania for its support of the Latvian Border Guard. She emphasized that, with the Saeima elections approaching, Latvia is experiencing an increase in hybrid activities by Russia and Belarus, which is why coordination and cooperation between the two countries is particularly important.

According to Kalnina-Lukasevica, Russia has failed to achieve its objectives on the front lines in Ukraine, and is therefore attempting to destabilize Europe by carrying out drone attacks and disinformation campaigns against supporters of Ukraine.

Sinkevicius, for his part, emphasized that Latvia and Lithuania are jointly defending not only their own eastern border but that of the entire European Union. The parties agreed that adequate European Union funding is necessary to strengthen the eastern border.

During the meeting, they also discussed economic cooperation between the two countries, as well as opportunities for collaboration in the defense industry, data security, and energy sectors. Both parties expressed the view that Russia cannot be a reliable partner, and therefore ties of various kinds with that country, including economic ones, must be reduced.