On 26 April 2022 in Madrid, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Latvia, Edgars Rinkēvičs, met with the Minister of Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, José Manuel Albares Bueno, for a discussion on the bilateral relations between the two countries, including cooperation in economy and international organisations. The Ministers also discussed regional and security policy matters, especially assistance to Ukraine and preparations for the NATO Summit to be convened in Madrid.
In an exchange on bilateral cooperation issues, Edgars Rinkēvičs thanked Spain for its contribution to the NATO enhanced Forward Presence battle group in Latvia and a regular participation in the Baltic Air Policing mission. Spain’s decision to increase the number of its troops in Latvia is a step towards a broader strengthening of NATO’s defence and deterrence in the eastern flank of the Alliance. Edgars Rinkēvičs underlined that reinforcing NATO’s eastern flank promptly and in the long term was currently of vital importance for Latvia.
The Minister reaffirmed Latvia’s interest in building a more active economic cooperation with Spain. Latvia welcomes the experience and expertise that Spanish companies are contributing to the Rail Baltica project, Edgars Rinkēvičs emphasised.
The Latvian Foreign Minister pointed out that sanctions against Russia must remain in place until Ukraine’s territorial integrity is restored and a reparations mechanism for Ukraine’s reconstruction is established. Consequently, political and economic pressure on Russia should continue, and Latvia would support further restrictive measures in the energy sector, for instance an oil trade embargo.
The Ministers talked about support for Ukraine provided by the EU and NATO. The war in Ukraine is a litmus test for the European Union and NATO, the Latvian Foreign Minister said. Our interests do not lie in any kind of freeze in hostilities, but instead in Ukraine’s victory. Decisions by countries with appropriate military capacity concerning the possibilities of increasing military support for Ukraine would have pivotal importance. Granting Ukraine an EU candidate status is a signal of political importance, Edgars Rinkēvičs noted.
The meeting also addressed the topics of the EU’s strategic autonomy, the enlargement of the union, and the EU’s relations with its southern neighbours. The pandemic and the war in Ukraine have proved the EU’s dependence on external suppliers as regards products of strategic importance; therefore, we must strengthen the flexibility of our economies through addressing the issues of dependence, supply chain problems, and the shortage of various essential resources and materials. The European Union must continue improving resilience, increasing national defence budgets, and developing civilian and military capabilities in a mutually complementary way in NATO, the Latvian Foreign Minister underlined.
As part of his visit, the Latvian Foreign Minister also met with the President of the Spanish Congress of Deputies, Meritxell Batet Lamaña, and the President of Foreign Affairs Committee at the Congress of Deputies, Pau Marí-Klose. The Foreign Minister expressed satisfaction with the active cooperation underway between the Parliaments of the two countries. For instance, the visit to Spain by the Speakers of Parliaments of the Baltic States planned this May.
During his stay in Spain, the Minister gave an interview to ABC, a Spanish daily newspaper.