Today in Tallinn, the Estonian Minister of Defence Hanno Pevkur met with the new Latvian Minister of Defence Andris Sprūds to discuss regional security and bilateral defence cooperation.
„Over the past two years, Estonia and Latvia have been strong supporters for Ukraine in their fight against the aggressor. We both know very well that freedom is priceless. We have considerably strengthened both our bilateral and regional cooperation, because together we can do more. The defence cooperation between Estonia and Latvia is good in many areas, and in the future I only see the deepening of this relationship,“ said Minister of Defence Hanno Pevkur.
In addition to the Estonian-Latvian joint procurement contract signed in September for acquiring the German medium range air defence systems IRIS-T and the contract signed in October for acquiring military vehicles, which also extends to the Latvian Ministry of Defence procurements, the next important point of cooperation with Latvia is again on air defence. „We are thankful to Latvia for hosting the Allied fighters that defend Estonian air space from Lielvārde next year, until the renovation of the Ämari Air Base has been completed and the fighters return to Estonia,“ said Minister of Defence Hanno Pevkur.
"Events of recent years in the world have proven the huge role of regional cooperation in strengthening defense. Together with Estonia, we not only provide strong support to Ukraine, but also strengthen the air defense of the Baltic region. During the meeting, we also discussed cooperation opportunities for the development of the military industry in the region," said Minister of Defence of Latvia Andris Sprūds.
Minister of Defence of Latvia Andris Sprūds took office on 15 September 2023. In addition to the bilateral meeting with Pevkur, Sprūds also visited the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence in Tallinn, the Ämari Air Base, and awarded the Latvian Ministry of Defence Medal of Honorary Recognition to Major General Ilmar Tamm for his previous work as the Commandant of the Baltic Defence College.
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Photos: Kaitseministeerium | Flickr