On 13 July, President of Latvia Egils Levits had remote meeting with Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš. One of the main topics of conversation was Defence Ministry’s proposal to introduce state defence service. ‘We are in a new geopolitical reality which requires us to step up our defence capabilities. Allies will deploy more troops to Latvia – we need to match that by reinforcing our armed forces. We need a reserve force with well-trained civilians, and state defence service is the right tool for teaching skills vital for defending our land,’ President of Latvia Egils Levits pointed out.
President of Latvia has previously pledged his support to the idea and – as Egils Levits confirmed – proposal has also been endorsed by Prime Minister Kariņš. President Levits and Prime Minister Kariņš both insist on further discussion about a number of practical issues, but it is important for Latvia, like other regional states, to have the political will to introduce the state defence service.
President and Prime Minister also discussed current energy agenda.