The United Kingdom, together with other NATO allies, is ready to defend the territory of Latvia and that of any other member state of the Alliance, British Ambassador to Latvia Kate Līch (Kathy Leach) emphasized at a press conference on the largest-ever international Joint Expeditionary Force exercise “Tarassis.”
She underlined that the British Embassy in Latvia works daily on security issues, which are currently identified as a priority, adding that the UK has always been Latvia’s ally. Cooperation between the two countries began more than 100 years ago, when Britain supported Latvia in its struggle for independence.
The ambassador is convinced that current security challenges demonstrate the need for NATO to be more united than ever before, and capable of responding to any challenge.
As previously reported, in September and October the activities of the Joint Expeditionary Force’s “Tarassis” exercise will take place in Latvia, mainly in the Kurzeme region.
“Tarassis” is an international exercise featuring operations on land, at sea, in the air, in space, and in cyberspace. Alongside the Joint Expeditionary Force member states, the Canadian Armed Forces will also take part. The exercise will involve several thousand troops as well as dozens of ships and aircraft operating across the North Atlantic, Scandinavia, and the Baltic Sea region.
“Tarassis” is the largest exercise conducted by the Joint Expeditionary Force since its creation.
The Joint Expeditionary Force was established as a UK initiative, first announced at the NATO summit in Wales, where the defense ministers of the participating countries signed a letter of intent on the creation of these forces. In September 2014, work began on defining the structure, tasks, and objectives for the member states. On November 30, 2015, in the UK, seven countries – the United Kingdom, Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, and Norway – signed the founding agreement establishing the Joint Expeditionary Force. Finland and Sweden joined the initiative in 2017, followed by Iceland in April 2021.
Latvia cooperates with the United Kingdom within NATO, the Joint Expeditionary Force, the Northern Group, and other formats aimed at strengthening defense and deterrence capabilities.
Read also: Romania to produce drones with Ukraine to protect NATO borders