A meeting of the Chairs of the Foreign Affairs Committees of the parliaments of the Nordic Countries and the Baltic States (NB8) will be held in Latvia on 16–17 April. The aim of the meeting is to discuss current foreign policy issues and assess the security challenges faced by the NB8 counties due to the threats posed by Russia and Belarus.

“Foreign policy is closely linked with security and defence policy. Therefore, security and defence will be the main topics covered during the meeting of the Chairs of the Foreign Affairs Committees of the parliaments of the NB8 countries,” underlined Ināra Mūrniece, Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Saeima.

The parliamentarians will exchange views on reinforcing regional resilience and coordinating action to respond to security threats more effectively.

The meeting will also focus on support for Ukraine, including the aid provided until now and the future areas of support. The parliamentarians will also discuss the options for containing Russia’s military capacities and reduce their impact on the region.

During the meeting, Committee Chairs will also exchange views on the strengthening of transatlantic ties, as well as on the current global and regional challenges faced by Europe in terms of foreign and security policy. The discussion will be joined by representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Defence, as well as representatives of the National Armed Forces.

The Chairs of the Foreign Affairs Committees of the parliaments of the NB8 countries will also visit the Mežaine Military Training Area. The training area is particularly well suited for military exercises in an urban environment and is used to train both National Armed Forces and Allied troops, providing a realistic environment to simulate a combat situation.

Saeima Press Service