“Today, Europe’s security faces a variety of challenges. We have faced Russian aggression in Ukraine and Georgia, endangering the order based on international law. Terrorism, migration, and the threats imposed by fake news and propaganda continue to create new challenges and the need to find solutions to them,” stated President of Latvia Raimonds Vējonis at the Meeting of the Heads of State of the nine allied states of the NATO Eastern Flank (the Bucharest Nine - B9) in Warsaw, Poland, on Friday, 8 June 2018.
The Wales and Warsaw Summits have taken appropriate decisions to strengthen the security of NATO’s Eastern Flank. Strengthening NATO’s enhanced presence in the Baltic States and Poland have made a significant complement to the Allied deterrence policy. Deterrence should be further strengthened with elements of airborne, naval capacities, and the capability to host additional NATO forces.
“The impact of the hybrid threat and especially the threat posed on information space must be further mitigated by strengthening the resilience of NATO Member States in that regard,” emphasised Raimonds Vējonis. “The Allies are increasingly aware of the wide range of challenges and make appropriate decisions. Both closer international co-operation and the strengthening of resilience at the national level by coordinating the activities of various state authorities are essential. In a comparatively short time, NATO’s Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence in Riga has gained international acclaim by undertaking significant work to help the allied countries in identifying threats to the information space and possible responses,” noted the President of Latvia.
“I am convinced that the decisions of the forthcoming NATO Summit on July 11-12 will be a strong signal of the Alliance to respond to the security challenges of our region and to strengthen deterrence policies in the region. Decisions that will provide more efficient functioning of NATO, as well as increased investment in defence, will provide a practical basis for strengthening the common security of the Baltic States and Poland, as well as the Alliance,” said the President of Latvia.
At the end of his visit to Poland, the President of Latvia will take part in the celebrations to mark the centenary of Poland.