He noted that the public could have been informed about the incident earlier, but this was the first such case in Latvia.
"Of course, we are analysing and following what has happened. The interesting thing is that it happened right during the national comprehensive defense exercise "Namejs". And these are the aspects that we are also planning to intensify during Namejs. It is communication between the armed forces, between ministries, between state institutions. So, of course, we are also taking this as a concrete example of what needs attention, what needs to be changed," Tūtins said.
He pointed out that the public itself should also be involved in the communication processes, including by downloading and using the 112 Latvija application for emergencies.
Asked why municipalities were not immediately informed about the specific drone incident, Tūtins pointed out that the NBS is learning:
"We are also learning. We are also learning, and every situation is one from which we draw conclusions. What was right, what was wrong, and what maybe was just not taken into account."
He added that giving too much information could be "giving ammunition to the enemy". This is the main reason why the NBS does not communicate many aspects publicly.
Tūtins did not exclude that the NBS might also need a specific person to inform the public about similar events, but in peacetime there are no specific faces. During "Namejs" this is being discussed.
"Yes, we have realised that this is probably the direction to go. But the other problem for that is - to subordinate everything to one face, is that entirely correct? You have to trust the system. That is, in our opinion, the most important conclusion," said Tūtins.
Meanwhile, political analyst and public relations specialist Filips Rajevskis on Latvian Television program "Morning Panorama" compared the incident to a moped driving on a highway in Latvia carrying 50 kilograms of explosives, but nobody does anything because it is "peaceful".
Rajevskis assessed that the press conference called by the Ministry of Defense on Monday afternoon was not the right communication tool: "If you don't have answers to the questions, don't call all the Latvian media and let them ask any question."
