The Riga Summit will also be among the many events marking the 75th anniversary of NATO's founding and the 20th anniversary of Latvia's NATO membership, but its main purpose will be as a warm-up event for the forthcoming Washington Summit of all NATO member states, with B9 members attempting to feel out and align with each others' positions ahead of that gathering.
Glad to host Secretary General of @NATO @jensstoltenberg, leaders of the Alliance’s Eastern flank nations, 🇫🇮 & 🇸🇪 in Riga today. We will discuss preparations for the upcoming NATO summit in Washington, strengthening defense & deterrence posture in the North & East, support for🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/rifNpVl00M
— Edgars Rinkēvičs (@edgarsrinkevics) June 11, 2024
"The objective of NATO's Eastern flank summits is to align national positions on matters of significance to the security and defence of the Alliance’s Eastern flank in advance of NATO's summits," according to a release from the office of the Latvian President.
After meetings during the day, a press conference is due to take place at 16:00 to reveal what conclusions were drawn.
The meeting of all NATO member states taking place in Washington D.C. July 9-11 is expected to make important decisions about the alliance's future direction.
