On 11 December President Edgars Rinkēvičs attended the annual meeting of the Presidents of the Baltic States held in Tallinn, Estonia. During his visit, Edgars Rinkēvičs, the President of the Republic of Estonia Alar Karis, and the President of the Republic of Lithuania Gitanas Nausėda, discussed Baltic States' cooperation and the implementation of joint projects, regional security, support for Ukraine, as well as issues related to ensuring Russia's accountability.
The President of Latvia welcomed the active cooperation between the Baltic States, in particular the coordination between the institutions of the internal affairs sector. "The unity and close cooperation of the Baltic States strengthens regional security. The institutions of the Baltic States work in close cooperation to address common challenges. This is perfectly demonstrated by the cooperation between the home affairs institutions. Latvia is grateful to Estonia and Lithuania for their support to the State Border Guard in the fight against the Belarusian hybrid attack and the artificially created migration crisis," said E. Rinkēvičs. The President of Latvia also noted the joint decision taken earlier this year to desynchronise from the Russian-controlled BRELL power grid system and synchronise with the continental European grid in 2025, which will contribute to the energy security of the Baltic States. At the same time, E. Rinkēvičs stressed the importance of the Rail Baltica project, which is essential not only for improving the connectivity of the Baltic States but also for ensuring military mobility.
President Rinkēvičs noted the need to continue political, military, economic, and financial support to Ukraine. E. Rinkēvičs expressed the hope that the European Union and the United States would soon make decisions on the continuation of macro-financial and military assistance to Ukraine and that the European Union would start accession negotiations with Ukraine.
The presidents of the Baltic States agreed on the need to find an effective solution to hold Russia and its officials accountable for the aggression and crimes committed in Ukraine.
As part of the visit, the President of Latvia also visited the Pelgulinn State Primary School in Tallinn, where he took part in a discussion with young people on the meaning of democracy and the challenges posed by populism.
