On Friday, the 7th of February, Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs stressed in his conversation of Gen. Maj. Kaspars Pudāns the importance of readiness of the country’s National Armed Forces as inspiration for residents and also sends a deterrence signal to Russia, as reported by the president’s advisor Mārtiņš Drēģeris.
Today was the first meeting between two officials since the appointment of Gen. Maj. Pudāns as the new commander of Latvian National Armed Forces.
“Knowing full well that Russia generates long-term threats to Euro-Atlantic safety, the primary objective is developing effective deterrence and defence capabilities of National Armed Forces, as well as the readiness to apply forces and capabilities to face future challenges,” said the Latvian president.
He also mentioned the importance of the reputation of NBS among residents. He said to improve it, the country should focus on communication and improvement of perception of armed forces in order to ensure greater involvement of Latvian residents in national security.