Vējonis off to NATO summit with hybrid hope

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On Wednesday and Thursday, 11 and 12 July 2018, President of Latvia Raimonds Vējonis will pay a working visit to Brussels, Belgium, to participate in the much-anticipated meeting of NATO Heads of State and Government.

In a brief statement before departure, Vējonis identified hybrid threats as an area for action at the meeting.

“It is essential for the Alliance to be able to find answers to the new security challenges. Therefore, the ability of Member States to face both traditional and hybrid threats must be further enhanced,” he said, without specifying what form such enhancements might take.

At the Summit, NATO leaders will discuss the measures to be taken aimed at strengthening deterrence policy and helping the Allies in developing new defensibility. Similarly, discussions are expected on increasing defence spending of the Allies, more engagement of NATO in the fight against terrorism, and further enlargement of the Alliance.

However, a great amount of media atention is likely to be focussed not on the discussions but on the antics of U.S. President Donald Trump.

On Thursday, 12 July 2018, a working session of NATO Heads of State and Government with representatives of Ukraine and Georgia is planned to discuss security challenges in their region. During the second half of the day, Vējonis will participate in the official opening of the new premises of the Permanent Representation of the Republic of Latvia to NATO. He will also hold a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan on Thursday.

You can follow the full summit agenda and watch audio clips at the official website.

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