The Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dace Melbārde, also met with the Swedish EU Affairs Minister for consultations.
Braže descibed Latvia and Sweden as "close allies" that have a strong position on supporting Ukraine and constraining Russia and "share a common vision as to the development of the European security industry." She also thanked the Swedish government or its decision to send soldiers to Latvia to join the NATO Multinational Brigade from 2025.
Baiba Braže also pointed out that Latvia strongly supports Sweden’s proposal to the European Commission concerning further work to increase tariffs on Russian and Belarusian imports into the EU, which would reduce Russia’s prospects of gaining revenues.
In a conversation with the Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dace Melbārde, the officials addressed the EU’s continued support to Ukraine, topics concerning the EU's competitiveness and security, and the EU enlargement process, highlighting progress made by Ukraine and Moldova. In the run-up to the European Council meeting on 19 and 20 December, officials discussed the EU’s external relations and the transatlantic agenda, as well as the rule of law issues.
Melbārde noted: “Living at a time when we are confronted with the realities of the war against Ukraine, the EU values and mutual cooperation are of particular importance. Our priority is an economically resilient, competitive and secure Europe. At the same time, attention should be given to strengthening our defence industry and infrastructure as well as resilience at the EU level, including when decisions are made on the EU’s next multiannual budget.”
Jessica Rosencrantz has held the post of Minister for European Union Affairs since 10 September 2024.
