Latvian Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš on Sunday, 28 November is meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, who arrived together on working visits to Rīga.
Defense
On November 22, the Ministry of Defense State Secretary Janis Garisons and Polish National Cybersecurity Center director Brigadier General Karol Molenda signed an agreement on cooperation between the two countries' military information technology incident response teams, the Ministry of Defense said.
Estonia has pledged border guard personnel to assist fellow European Union member states Poland and Latvia, amid strong pressure at Belarus' western border following large numbers of migrants who have been corralled there by Alexander Lukashenko's security forces, reports ERR News.
The first contracts regarding the construction of Latvia's eastern border inrastructure with builders are planned to be concluded at the end of February 2022, Renars Griškevics, Chairman of the Board of State JSC 'State Real Estate' (VNĪ) told Latvian Radio November 17.
Latvian Defense Minister Artis Pabriks told Latvian Radio November 16 that 'we are currently one step from invoking Article 4 of the NATO Treaty' in regard to the migrant situation on the borders between Belarus and Poland, Lithuania and Latvia.
The Minister for Defense Artis Pabriks has tasked the armed forces to start military training in Latgale, the Minister told Latvian Television in a phone call November 14.
The State Border Guard, in cooperation with the State Police and the National Armed Forces (NBS), is prepared to deal with a large number of offenders on the Belarus border, chief of state Border Guard Guntis Pujāts told Latvian Television November 12.
On Wednesday, November 10, State Border Guard officials prevented 21 people from attempting to cross the Latvian-Belarusian state border illegally, the border guard informed.
Currently, the situation on the Latvian–Belarusian border is relatively peaceful, but day after day border guards prevent dozens of immigrants from entering Latvia illegally. Latvian Radio traveled to the border to see the situation first-hand on November 9.
November 4 saw the opening of a new Air Defense Training Building at the Aviation Base of the National Armed Forces at Lielvārde.
On Thursday, November 4, three people were detained for having crossed the Latvian-Belarusian border illegally. The Border Guard allowed these people in citing humanitarian reasons.
On Wednesday, November 3, four people were detained for having crossed the Latvian-Belarusian border illegally. The Border Guard allowed these people in citing humanitarian reasons.
On Wednesday, November 3, Latvia showed off its first four new Patria armored vehicles at Ādaži base, with the participation of Artis Pabriks, Minister of Defense, Lieutenant General Leonīds Kalniņš and Patria representatives.
The construction of the infrastructure necessary for the guarding of the external land border will be ensured by the State JSC “State Real Estate” (VNĪ), as provided by the draft law approved by the government November 2.
Between August 10, the announcement of the state of emergency on the Latvia-Belarus border, and October 31, the Border Guard has prevented 2,003 persons from crossing the border.
On Tuesday, October 26, two people were detained for having crossed the Latvian-Belarusian border illegally. The Border Guard allowed these people in citing humanitarian reasons.
On October 26, officers of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation paid an assessment visit to Latvia, dropping in on the Ādaži military base under the agreed mutual Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) remit.
On Monday, October 25, a landing exercise by a US Special Operations MC-130J aircraft took place at Spilve Airport near Rīga to demonstrate the speed with which a High Mobility Rocket Artillery System (HIMARS ) could be deployed.
The Ministry of Interior has developed a draft law that hopes to speed up the process of building the eastern border, Interior Minister Marija Golubeva (Development/For) told Latvian Television October 26.
On October 21, the Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) and the Ministry of Defense held online consultations involving the Baltic States and the United States of America on cyber security and the protection of critical infrastructure, the MFA said in a statement.
At a meeting on Tuesday, October 19, the Latvian government agreed to extend the state of emergency announced along the border with Belarus.
Between August 10, the announcement of the state of emergency on the Latvia-Belarus border, and October 15, the Border Guard has prevented 1,706 persons from crossing the border.
On Monday, October 12, six people were detained for having crossed the Latvian-Belarusian border illegally. The Border Guard allowed these people in citing humanitarian reasons.
Ten to twenty attempts to illegally cross the Latvian-Belarusian border are prevented every day, Latvian Radio reported October 11.
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It's now just one week until the annual Rīga Conference takes place and the full running order and participant list for the event has now been finalised by the organizers, the Latvian Transatlantic Organization (LATO).
Between August 10, the announcement of the state of emergency on the Latvia-Belarus border, and October 5, the Border Guard has prevented 1,503 persons from crossing the border.
Between August 10, the announcement of the state of emergency on the Latvia-Belarus border, and September 30, the Border Guard has prevented 1,422 persons from crossing the border.
Nearly seven weeks after the state of emergency in the border area was announced, the first section of the fence has been erected, Latvian Television reported September 28.
From September 24 to 26, soldiers, reserve soldiers and national guardsmen of the 2nd Vidzeme Brigade of the National Guard will participate in the National Armed Forces military exercise “Namejs 2021”, the aim of which is to check and improve the readiness of units to develop national defense tasks both independently and collectively, the National Armed Forces said September 20.