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We are thankful to our Canadian allies for their leadership and significant contribution to our collective security and NATO’s overall robustness. The NATO multinational brigade will become the largest NATO military formation in the Baltic States. This was stated by the Speaker of the Saeima, Daiga Mieriņa, at an event held in honour of the NATO battle group's elevation to brigade level on Thursday, 17 October.
“In partnership with Canada, we are jointly building strong defensive and deterrence forces on NATO's external border and providing all necessary support to bring Ukraine closer to victory, both nationally and through our joint training of Ukrainian soldiers right here in Latvia. We take pride in this partnership in defence of our common interests,” emphasised the Speaker of the Saeima.
Speaker Mieriņa highlighted that today marks a new phase in the development of NATO’s military presence in Latvia, as we celebrate our bilateral relations with Canada and the strengthening of transatlantic ties. The mutual relations between Latvia and Canada create new and enduring threads between the continents of Europe and North America, said the Speaker of the Saeima, stressing that the NATO alliance continues to demonstrate its ability to change and adapt to shifts in the security environment. Speaker Mieriņa also underscored that today NATO, through real actions, affirms the ironclad unity of allies and the readiness to build truly strong military deterrence and defence capabilities for the protection of its territory from the very first centimetre.
Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica, Deputy Speaker of the Saeima, emphasised Canada’s strong support for Latvia, both historically and in the present, as we train Ukrainian soldiers together and enhance Latvia's and the region's defence capabilities. “Today, a long-awaited turning point is occurring, and in the coming years, we will witness the brigade achieving its full capabilities, which will mean several thousand NATO soldiers stationed here in Latvia. We are grateful and proud to have friends and allies like Canada,” stated Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica.
The Canadian Ambassador to Latvia, Brian Szwarc, stated that this marks the first time Latvia has a sustained multinational NATO brigade presence, which provides significant combat capabilities for the defence of Latvia and NATO territory. The Ambassador also expressed gratitude to Latvia for its cooperation and partnership as a host nation.
The Commander of the Canadian Armed Forces Task Force Latvia, Colonel Jim Smith, emphasised that Canada’s presence in Latvia has doubled, rising from 800 to 2,000 soldiers, thereby augmenting the overall presence of allies. The new multinational brigade in Latvia will comprise approximately 3,000 allied soldiers, a figure that may also increase during times of crisis, stated Colonel Smith.
The NATO multinational battlegroup in Latvia has been under Canadian leadership since 2017, representing Canada’s largest military mission abroad. Last year, Canada pledged to substantially enhance its personnel and equipment contributions in order to strengthen NATO's presence in Latvia. In cooperation with its allies, Canada aims to lead the battlegroup's transition to a multinational combat-capable brigade.
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Saeima Press Service