On Tuesday 30 November, Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš met with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and discussed the security situation in the region, as well as bilateral cooperation.
At the meeting, K. Kariņš expressed gratitude for the United States’ continued commitment to the security of the Baltic States and called for enhanced U.S. presence in the region, in the light of the hybrid attack by the Belarus regime on the border of Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, which is also the external border of the European Union and NATO member states. In addition, the Russian military forces are also concentrated in the border area of Ukraine. The Prime Minister emphasized that these developments have to be assessed in the context of rising energy, mainly gas, prices in Europe, which are affected by Russia’s manipulations with gas supplies; the disinformation campaigns implemented by Russia and Belarus are also on-going.
K. Kariņš pointed out that it is essential to give a clear signal to Russia that further escalation of the situation in the region will have consequences. “These new security challenges have strengthened both the unity of the countries of the European Union and the cooperation between the European Union and the transatlantic partners. By working together and complementing each other, we clearly demonstrate the strength of both organisations - the EU and NATO", emphasized the Prime Minister.
During the meeting, the two officials also discussed the economic cooperation between Latvia and the United States. The Prime Minister presented the development of Latvia’s economy over the last years, and called on the U.S. companies to invest in high value-added industries. K. Kariņš also highlighted the successful cooperation with the U.S. Treasury, and thanked for the support in improving the supervision of the financial sector.
The Prime Minister and the U.S. Secretary of State also discussed the relations between the European Union and the United States. K. Kariņš expressed the view that, as the result of activities of the EU-US Trade and Technology Council, Latvia expects closer cooperation in the high-tech area.
Photos of the meeting are available at: 30.11.2021 Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš meets with U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken| Flickr