Latvia considering increasing the number of soldiers participating in operations in Afghanistan and Iraq

RIGA - During a Saeima Defense, Internal Affairs and Corruption Prevention Committee meeting today, Defense Minister Raimonds Bergmanis (Greens/Farmers) said that in order to strengthen the fight against terrorism, Latvia is considering increasing the number of soldiers in the operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The defense minister presented to the committee today his conclusion from the recent NATO Summit in Brussels.

Taking into account the events in the Middle East and NATO's resolve to strengthen the fight against terrorism, Latvia has been invited to increase its presence in Afghanistan and Iraq. ''We are currently evaluating our possibilities and remain in contact with our allies to assess how best we could increase our assistance,'' the minister emphasized.

Bergmanis told LETA after the closed-door meeting that Latvia is evaluating what type of specialists it could send to these countries, like, for example, explosive neutralization specialists.

The minister confirmed that the additional Latvian soldiers would not participate in battle operations.

''We do not have a great number of human resources, and we need our specialists over here is well, which is why our allies value the fact that we are still prepared to be involved under such circumstances,'' he added.