«The war in Ukraine is a litmus test for the European Union and NATO. It is not in our interest to freeze the war in any way, Ukraine’s victory is,» said Latvia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Edgars Rinkēvičs during this visit to Spain this week.
«Countries’ decisions on increasing military aid for Ukraine will play a decisive role. Giving Ukraine status as an EU candidate is a very important political signal,» said the Latvian minister.
On Tuesday, 26 April, Rinkēvičs met with his Spanish counterpart Minister of Foreign Affairs in Madrid to discuss Latvian-Spanish relations in the field of economics and cooperation in international organisations. Ministers also discussed regional and security policy issues, especially in regards to aid for Ukraine and preparations for the upcoming NATO summit in Madrid, as BNN was told by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The two ministers also discussed matters of EU’s autonomy, expansion and relations with southern neighbours.
«The pandemic and the war in Ukraine have highlighter European Union’s dependence on suppliers of strategically important goods. This is why we need to enhance flexibility of our economy, resolve dependency and supply chain problems, as well as the shortage of many important resources and materials. The European Union needs to continue improving its resilience, increase national defence budgets and develop civil and military capabilities in a mutually complementary way in NATO,» stressed Rinkēvičs.
Latvia’s minister said anti-Russian sanctions must remain in force until the territorial integrity of Ukraine is fully restored and a reparation mechanism is created for the country’s reconstruction. Therefore it is necessary to continue exacting political and economic pressure on Russia, and Latvia will support further restrictive measures in the energy sector, such as embargo on Russian oil.
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As for mutual cooperation, Rinkēvičs thanked Spain for its contribution to NATO’s expanded presence in Latvia and participation in NATO’s Baltic sky patrol mission. Spain’s decision to send more troops to Latvia is a step towards more expansive NATO’s presence along the eastern flank. Rinkēvičs stressed for Latvia the enhancement of NATO’s eastern flank is important now in a long-term perspective.
The minister also confirmed Latvia’s interest in establishing more active economic cooperation with Spain. «Latvia highly values the experience and contribution of Spanish companies in the Rail Baltica project,» said the minister.