On 11 June, Riga for the first time hosts the summit of NATO’s Eastern Flank countries, otherwise known as the Bucharest Nine (B9) Summit. Upon the leadership of President Edgars Rinkēvičs, the Summit serves as an opportunity to coordinate member state positions on the security and collective defence of NATO's Eastern flank, as well as on long-term support for Ukraine, prior to the upcoming NATO Summit in Washington. The Eastern Flank summit was convened in Riga at the initiative of the President of Latvia. In recognition of the strategic role of NATO's newest members, Finland and Sweden, in the security of the region, the President of Finland and the Prime Minister of Sweden are also attending the Summit upon the initiative of E. Rinkēvičs.
In a meeting with the NATO Secretary General, the Presidents of Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Lithuania, Poland, and Romania, the Prime Minister of Sweden, and representatives of Slovakia and Hungary, the President of Latvia discussed the effective implementation of the NATO regional defence plans and the strengthening of the Alliance's defence capabilities following decisions taken at the NATO’s Summits in Madrid and Vilnius. Additionally, the parties discussed potential decisions to be made at the forthcoming Washington Summit to promote interoperability between Ukrainian and NATO forces and facilitate Ukraine’s closer NATO integration.
