On 15 December, President Edgars Rinkēvičs met with Canadian Minister of Defence Bill Blair in the Riga Castle to discuss bilateral cooperation between the two countries, especially in the areas of defence and security policy.
During the meeting, the President of Latvia thanked Canada for its military presence in Latvia and its commitment to the establishment of a combat-capable brigade. One of the practical steps is the recent delivery of 15 Leopard 2 tanks and their support staff from Canada.
E. Rinkēvičs assured of Latvia's commitment to ensure full host nation support for the Canadian Armed Forces build-up in Latvia. "Latvia highly values cooperation in the fields of cyber security and defence. Canada is our closest and most trusted partner in these areas. I would also like to thank Canada for its contribution and joint work in training Ukrainian soldiers," the president of Latvia said.
The parties also exchanged views on the work to be done to strengthen the defence of the Baltic region before the NATO Washington Summit.
