Today, President of Latvia Egils Levits met with Minister of Defence Artis Pabriks to discuss various issues related to Latvia’s defence in the Riga Castle. During the conversation, Mr Levits highly appreciated the capabilities of the National Armed Forces (NAF) and its cooperation with partner countries and Allied forces by expressing pride in the Latvian NAF.
Mr Levits was pleased that he had both met with the Military Council, visited training of the 3rd Latgale Brigade of the National Guard, and met with veterans of international operations and their children during the first month of his presidency. The President of Latvia expressed his support for the National Guard and Young Guard by noting that they were an essential part of the civic and democratic society of Latvia.
During the meeting, both parties discussed the need to maintain the defence spending at 2% of GDP and to increase it slightly if possible. They also considered Latvia’s participation in international operations as well as the establishment of a comprehensive national defence system, including institutions, enterprises, people of Latvia and the diaspora.
