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On 3 September 2026, during a working visit to Italy, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Baiba Braže, delivered a lecture at the NATO Defence College and gave interviews to the Italian news agency Agenzia Nova and the Italian television channels SKY and TG2POST. The Minister also met with the President of the Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee of the Italian Senate, Maurizio Gasparri. On 4 September, the Minister accompanied Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs on his visit to the Holy See.
During the meeting at the Senate, the officials discussed cooperation between Latvia and Italy in the areas of security and defence. The Minister expressed her gratitude for Italy’s military presence in Latvia and its participation in NATO’s Baltic Air Policing mission. Baiba Braže particularly highlighted the effective work of Italy’s Eurofighter jets, which shot down an unmanned aerial vehicle that had entered Latvian airspace from Belarus on 14 August. The Minister also provided an update on the security situation in the region, Russia’s hybrid aggression and Belarus’s instrumentalisation of migration.
She expressed appreciation for Italy’s support for Ukraine and called for maintaining a focus on comprehensive assistance to Ukraine. The Minister stressed the need to maintain the international isolation of Russia, which poses a long-term threat to Europe, and to ensure that Russia is held accountable for its war of aggression in Ukraine.
During discussions on strengthening Europe’s defence capabilities and the EU Multiannual Financial Framework, the Minister emphasised the need to ensure sufficient funding to strengthen the EU’s eastern border – a shared responsibility of NATO and the EU. The parties agreed that stability in the east and south is equally important. The Minister expressed solidarity with Italy regarding the challenges posed by migration. The parties exchanged views on the Israeli–Palestinian conflict and international efforts to restore freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.
In a lecture at the NATO Defence College, the Minister shared Latvia’s perspective on the future of the Alliance, the threats posed by Russia, and Latvia’s contribution to strengthening national defence since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The Minister also met with the College’s leadership – Commandant Lieutenant General Jérôme Goisque and the Dean, Deputy Commandant Suzanne Nielsen. Baiba Braže is the first foreign minister to be received at the College by Commandant Goisque since he took office in July this year.
During the visit, the Minister gave three interviews – to the news agency Agenzia Nova and the Italian television channels SKY and TG2POST – outlining current developments in bilateral cooperation between Latvia and Italy, the security situation in the Baltic region, with a special emphasis on the challenges along the eastern border, and sharing Latvia’s perspective on EU enlargement policy and the strengthening of European defence capabilities.
On 4 September, she participated in Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs’ visit to the Holy See, where an audience with His Holiness Pope Leo XIV and a meeting with the Secretary of State of the Holy See, His Eminence Cardinal Pietro Parolin, took place. During the meeting with Cardinal Parolin, the Minister discussed the role of Vatican diplomacy in achieving a just and lasting peace in Ukraine.
