UK foreign minister to affirm commitment to Baltic countries

  • 2021-10-11
  • LETA/BNS/TBT Staff

TALLINN – The United Kingdom's Foreign Secretary Liz Truss was about to host the ministers of foreign affairs of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania for a meeting on Monday in which economic, security and technology partnerships will be agreed to jointly counter hostile activities.

The foreign secretary is set to reaffirm the United Kingdom's commitment to the Baltic states 30 years after regaining independence. The secretary will also promise to work closely together to protect and promote freedom and democracy in the wider region, spokespeople for the UK embassy in Tallinn said.

Truss will stress the importance of cooperation, among other things, in responding to Russia's hostile actions. She also plans to raise the recent migration crisis at the Belarusian border, which is believed to be the result of Alexander Lukashenko's actions to put pressure on Europe. The foreign secretary reaffirmed the UK's support for Lithuania and Latvia in confronting the situation.

The foreign secretary wants to devote much of the conversation to strengthening economic relations between the Baltic countries and the UK, for example, in the field of technology. One of the new foreign secretary's goals is to build closer trade, investment and technology links with allies and partners around the world.

The UK is the framework nation of NATO's enhanced Forward Presence (eFP) battle group in Estonia, which is a clear sign of commitment to Baltic and European security. Ahead of next month's NATO foreign ministers' meeting in Riga, Truss plans to confirm that the UK is ready to be tough on those who act against the rules.

This year, the UK celebrated the centennial of diplomatic relations with Estonia and Latvia, with the same to be celebrated with Lithuania next year. This year also marked 30 years since the end of the Soviet occupation of the Baltic countries.