Latvia's biggest challenge is to learn to think like Europeans - Suvajevs

RIGA - The biggest challenge for Latvia is to be able to learn to think like Europeans, Andris Suvajevs, chair of the Progressives' faction in the Saeima, said at the annual foreign policy debate in parliament on Thursday.

The MP noted that Latvia's foreign policy has become domestic policy. According to Suvajevs, a competition has started in the Latvian parliament over who will be the biggest supporter of [US President] Donald Trump. Suvajevs said that with rapid changes in international relations, it is difficult to define the main changes and to understand Latvia's role in them, but he would like Latvia to speak a clear language. "Latvia must speak directly, bluntly, with self-respect and with its head held high," the lawmaker said.

Suvajevs referred to the position voiced by MPs of the Latvian First (LPV) faction in the Saeima that the Progressives are a national threat because of their foreign policy. Suvajevs argued that no more proof was needed that the Progressives were doing the right thing if the LPV faction started talking like this. "It is hard to imagine a greater compliment. After all, this is a faction that is probably struggling right now to answer the question: who owns Greenland?" Suvajevs said.

He mentioned two "camps" in current world politics. In his view, one side defends a world order that is based on international rules and law, while the other side believes that the order must be based on force.

Latvia is in an unenviable position in such circumstances, where two distinct sides are emerging and the outcome of the clash cannot be predicted, Suvajevs said. "On the one hand, our existence as a state depends on the international legal order. It was precisely its lack or flawed nature that was one of the reasons why the Soviet Union was able to occupy us," Suvajevs said.

On the other hand, the US, as Latvia's most influential strategic partner, is increasingly in favor of an order based on force, the politician concluded. This, in turn, means the need to "speak out" and disagree with our partner in the belief that this does not undermine Latvia's security. "Sovereignty based on the ability to withstand pressure, not sovereignty based on rules, is not in the interest of small states," the lawmaker said.

Europe is a necessary ally for the US, he said. Europe is needed in a situation where the US faces multiple threats at the same time. This, in turn, would also give Europe itself some leverage in future negotiations on trade and military cooperation, the MP argued.

He also stressed that allies who take responsibility for their own security are valuable allies. "This should reassure anyone who is afraid to say a critical word about Donald Trump's policies," Suvajevs said, while noting the importance of defense investment, procurement of capabilities, and strengthening the border.

"We are model allies not because we are docile and sycophantic, but because we have no illusions about Russia and that it must be confronted with force," Suvajevs said.

Outlining the most important foreign policy objectives, the MP said that Latvia's closest geographical neighbors are also its closest allies - the Baltic countries, Poland, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, and Norway. In Suvajevs' view, the UK and Canada should also be included. "This is a coalition that should form not only a military bloc, but also a political-diplomatic bloc," Suvajevs said, pointing out that the task of this bloc is to consistently defend Ukraine and to be able to speak to strategic partners in a language they understand - about the international order, about investment and responsibility.

"It is in the name of this bloc that Latvia must express unconditional solidarity with Denmark on the Greenland issue," the MP said.

He also pointed out that Latvia must not lose focus on what is most important - supporting Ukraine, putting pressure on Russia both in terms of sanctions and the shadow fleet, and building diplomatic relations with the Global South to reduce Russia's international influence.

Suvajevs also stressed Latvia's role in the European Union (EU). "Perhaps the political scale is what matters most, because as the US role in the Euro-Atlantic security architecture diminishes, the EU's role inevitably and automatically increases," the MP said.

For Suvajevs, military independence must be based on a financial system that can sustain it, which Europe does not currently have. This means being able to talk about common debt and ever closer political integration. Procurement must be coordinated so that the different defense capabilities are aligned according to national needs and infrastructure, he said.

The biggest challenge for Latvia, according to Suvajevs, is to be able to learn to think like Europeans. "A truly European mindset means being able to perceive other countries' challenges as one's own. Infrastructure adapted to the climate crisis in Spain, migration flows at Europe's borders, authoritarian tendencies in some member states - we need to be able to think of these challenges as our own," Suvajevs said.

In Suvajevs' view, Latvia should not feel insecure in changing circumstances. "Europe is the answer to our challenges. However, our political leaders need to learn to think like Europeans, especially as the majority of the Latvian public understands this very well," the MP said.

He also argued that Latvia should use its membership of the UN Security Council to continuously and consistently highlight the values that underpin the international order. "We must be able to seek a new expression of the same values that safeguard territorial integrity, sovereignty and self-determination," Suvajevs said.

The lawmaker also believes that politicians should talk to the local public when planning foreign policy. "The task of political leaders is not only to call for keeping a cool head, but also to clearly point out the existing challenges and the actions we are planning to take," Suvajevs said.