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On Wednesday, July 2, Deputy Speaker of the Saeima Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica met with a delegation of advisors to the United States Congress to discuss cooperation between the two countries' legislatures, the security situation in the Baltic region, and current issues in transatlantic relations.

“The Saeima is committed to actively strengthening ties with the US Congress. Both political and security cooperation are extremely important. This is required by today's global challenges, and therefore close and constant cooperation with our strategic partners is necessary," said Deputy Speaker Kalniņa-Lukaševica.

In order to improve cooperation and maintain direct links between legislators, the Presidium of the Saeima has decided to appoint a parliamentary representative to the US. The Saeima is also organising the first visit of representatives of the US Congress to Latvia, which is planned for mid-August.

An important topic of discussion during the meeting was the US contribution to security in the Baltic region. “The US presence in our region is a strong guarantee against Russian aggression. We highly appreciate the support of the US Congress for the Baltic security initiative, which provides real and tangible assistance,” Kalniņa-Lukaševica emphasized.

Under the Baltic Security Initiative, Latvia has received military assistance worth USD 80 million in 2024. In turn, the support program planned for 2025-2027 provides for funding of up to USD 231.57 million for all Baltic countries.

The Deputy Speaker of the Saeima also highlighted that Latvia is continuing to rapidly develop its military capabilities by establishing new military bases and increasing its defence capacity. However, she drew the attention of the Congressional advisors to the fact that only together with allies is it possible to ensure long-term peace and stability in the entire region.

Deputy Speaker Kalniņa-Lukaševica reiterated the conviction based on the historical experience of the Baltic region that Russia is only willing to talk about peace when faced with decisive resistance. She stressed that sanctions against Russia are an essential tool for bringing the war to an end, and that cooperation with the US is therefore very important.

The US Congressional delegation to the Saeima included advisors to members of both the House of Representatives and the Senate, representing the Appropriations Subcommittee on Defence, the Subcommittee on Financial Technology and Artificial Intelligence, the Armed Services Committee, the Committee on Natural Resources, as well as the Baltic and Baltic Freedom Cooperation Groups.

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Saeima Press Service