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On Thursday, 13 November, Daiga Mieriņa, Speaker of the Saeima, welcomed Juozas Olekas, Speaker of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania, at the Saeima to discuss the joint position of Latvia and Lithuania regarding support for Ukraine, as well as the close cooperation between both countries within the Baltic Sea region.
Both speakers agreed on the importance of regional cooperation, including in international platforms, emphasising the Baltic Assembly, which is currently bringing together parliamentarians from all three Baltic States in Riga. Lithuanian Speaker Olekas stressed that strengthening regional cooperation is crucial for our security and our shared future.
Regarding the possibilities for strengthening defence capabilities, the Speaker of the Saeima emphasized that Latvia and Lithuania can set an example for other countries by being among the first to reach the goals of the Hague Summit. Speaker Mieriņa noted that this year, Latvia is allocating four percent of its gross domestic product to defence needs, and will approach five percent next year. Both Speakers also discussed the recent developments in the budget drafting process of their respective countries, and Speaker Mieriņa underlined that Latvia’s goal is to ensure a significant increase in security funding while finding ways to avoid raising taxes.
The parliamentary speakers agreed that Ukraine requires strong and predictable military and financial support to withstand Russia’s aggression. The Speaker of the Saeima noted that Latvia allocates at least 0.25 percent of its gross domestic product annually for military support to Ukraine.
Regarding the progress of the Rail Baltica infrastructure project, Speaker Mieriņa and Speaker Olekas agreed that the project is important for both the people of our region and for European military mobility. The countries should look for additional EU funds in order to complete the project. “When the project was still in the planning stage, we were in a different geopolitical situation. Now the project has become important for the security of the entire Europe,” stated Speaker Mieriņa, stressing that joint efforts are needed to ensure that the European Union grants military mobility status to this infrastructure project.
The bilateral meeting with the newly-elected Speaker of the Lithuanian Seimas took place as part of his introductory visit to Latvia. Tomorrow, the Lithuanian Speaker will also participate in the 44th Session of the Baltic Assembly at the Saeima building.
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Saeima Press Service