From 21 to 24 October 2022, Latvia hosted a visit from a delegation of the United States Congressional Staff. During their stay, the US congressional staff were introduced to the security situation in the region, visited a National Armed Forces’ military base in Lielvārde, where they met with US soldiers stationed in Latvia, and had a discussion with Latvian public officials on the bilateral cooperation between Latvia and the United States and on Russia’s hostilities in Ukraine.
During a meeting with congressional staffers, the State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Andris Pelšs, commended the excellent bilateral relations between Latvia and the United States and the strong transatlantic unity, which is of special importance in the current geopolitical situation. Members of the US delegation, for their part, thanked Latvia for its leadership in assistance to Ukraine in both bilateral and multilateral format and reaffirmed the unwavering support from the US in the security sector.
As part of the visit, the US delegation met with Jānis Kažociņš, National Security Adviser to the President of Latvia; Ginta Brūmane-Gromula, Director of the Defence Policy Department at the Ministry of Defence; Jānis Sārts, Director of the NATO Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence, as well as with Atis Lejiņš and Krista Baumane, members of the Saeima (Latvian Parliament) Foreign Affairs Committee.
The delegation also had the opportunity to attend the Riga Conference and watch the manufacturing of unmanned aerial vehicles in a Latvian company, Edge Autonomy.
Background information
The visit of the congressional staff was arranged as part of a broader Baltic States programme. Visits of that kind to the Baltic States have been taking place on a regular basis since 2013. They help the United States Congress to explore the security situation in the Baltic region and to understand what is required for the strengthening of the Baltic States’ security.
Each year, the United States Congress makes an assessment of, and assigns funding for the development of the Baltic States’ defence sector under the Baltic Security Initiative. In 2022, the Congress approved 180 million USD in defence assistance to the Baltic States to bolster their capabilities. In addition to annual support, the US government will also provide Latvia with an estimated $200 million in security assistance and security cooperation funding in Fiscal Year 2022, including over 145 million USD in Foreign Military Financing (FMF) to strengthen Latvian security and military interoperability. Through the Foreign Military Financing programme, Latvia is able to enhance its defence and deterrence capabilities.