The Lithuanian President will meet with the President of Latvia, Raimonds Vējonis, to discuss bilateral relations and issues of concern to the region – the strengthening of the security of the Baltic countries, cooperation in NATO and the implementation of joint energy and transport projects. The meeting will also address the challenges faced by the European Union in dealing with the issues of refugees and assistance to Greece.
During her visit to Latvia, Dalia Grybauskaitė and the Latvian President will participate in the official inauguration of the NATO Strategic Communications Center of Excellence (STRATCOM). The NATO Center of Excellence, which was established in Riga in July last year, will contribute to strengthening information security and fighting hostile propaganda, it will be engaged in the formation of the Alliance's strategic communications doctrine, will carry out an information space analysis and establish the best practices on how to expose lies spread about NATO countries and counter information attacks.
One Lithuanian officer is already involved in the activities of the Center. A second representative of our country will begin to work at the Center in September. In total, the activities of the Center have been joined by seven members of the Alliance – Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Poland, Germany, the United Kingdom, and Italy. In the near future, the Netherlands, the United States of America and Finland, which is a NATO partner, are also planning to send their experts.
This is the third NATO-accredited Center of Excellence in the Baltic States. The NATO Energy Security Center of Excellence has been operational in Lithuania since 2012 while Estonia has hosted the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defense Center of Excellence since 2008.
The opening ceremony of STRATCOM will also be attended by U.S. Senator John McCain and the delegation of the Senate as well as by the representatives of the governments and armed forces of NATO member countries.
