On 14 June, President Egils Levits met with the Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Pierre James Trudeau, at the NATO Summit in Brussels.
The President emphasized the historical diplomatic ties between the two countries and praised the fact that Canada did not de facto, nedz by right did not recognize Latvia’s accession to the Soviet Union and on August 26, 1991, the first of the G-7 countries renewed diplomatic relations with Latvia.
Discussing security issues in the region and the Alliance, the President praised Canada’s significant contribution to the protection of the Baltic region by leading the NATO Expanded Battlegroup in Latvia. The President expressed support for Canada as the leading country in the NATO battle group stationed in Latvia also after 2023.
Both leaders welcomed Ukraine’s international initiative “Crimea Platform”, which is a valuable tool to remind the world that Russia has occupied Crimea. The President explained that due to its historical experience, Latvia is well aware of the importance of other countries’ support in not recognizing the occupation. Both sides agreed that Russia’s destabilizing influence in the world must be counteracted by credible defense capabilities and the political will to defend democratic values.
The security implications of climate change were also discussed. Both sides ‘vision of NATO’ s resilience, unity and NATO2030 development vision is unified.
The President reaffirmed Latvia’s unwavering support for Canada’s efforts to find a solution to Canadian citizens illegally detained in China.
During the meeting, the President also congratulated Canada on winning the 2021 World Hockey Championship, which was held in Riga this year.
Office of the President
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