The meeting focused on the strengthening of deterrence and defense capabilities in the Baltic states and Poland, as well as regional security challenges. Ministers agreed on the need to ensure timely and full implementation of the NATO 2030 decisions, which were adopted at the Meeting of the North Atlantic Council at the level of Heads of State and Government in Brussels on 14 June, particularly as regards collective defense and deterrence.
In the run-up to a debate on NATO's new strategic concept, it is essential that this process be pursued with the main focus on collective defense. Ministers also unanimously stated that a constant presence of the United States and other allies in the region was crucial for credible deterrence.
"A constant military presence of the USA and other NATO countries is one of the priorities of Lithuania's foreign and security policy. Given the changes in the security environment, the deployment of additional allied troops to the region would be welcome,” said G. Landsbergis.
Ministers discussed the ongoing Zapad 2021 joint Russian-Belarusian military drills, which demonstrated the deepening military integration of these two countries. Further creation of a union state of Russia and Belarus will have serious implications for the security of the Baltic region. Therefore, it is necessary to closely monitor and analyze the processes, and adapt our security and defense policy.
Ministers agreed that in view of the challenges from the east, it was necessary to strengthen support for our closest partners, who were under pressure from Russia. To this end, NATO's partnership policy needs to be used to deepen cooperation with countries, such as Ukraine and Georgia.
The meeting in Riga was the first event in that format, aimed at developing security and defense consultations and coordination among Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland.
