Latvia marks 19 years since joining NATO

On Tuesday, March 29, it is 19 years since Latvia became a NATO member. According to experts, Latvia's participation in the world's most powerful military alliance is the most important thing that has happened in the area of national security.

In an interview with Latvian Radio on Wednesday, Latvian ambassador to NATO Edgars Skuja said: “Our defense consists of two elements, of national capabilities and of what NATO allies give. Our National Armed Forces are very professionally developed and continue to do so. NATO comes with its own input.”

The parliamentary secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Gunda Reire, said on Latvian Television that during the past 19 years, the military alliance developed, which has also strengthened Latvia's security. “We've never been in such a good security situation,” Reire said.

Latvia's ambassador to NATO commented that the alliance has developed along with geopolitical circumstances and times. In particular, the Russian war against Ukraine had “significantly changed the security environment” and NATO adapted to the time when cyber-attacks and hybrid threats were altering the possible forms of attack, Skuja noted.

On November 21, 2002, at the meeting of NATO Heads of state in Prague, Czech Republic, Latvia and six other candidate states were invited to join NATO. This marked the beginning of the last stage for Latvia for becoming a NATO Member State, which took place on March 29, 2004.

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