On Monday 18 December, Prime Minister Māris Kučinskis met with Jüri Ratas, Prime Minister of the Republic of Estonia and Lithuanian Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis in Tallinn.
The meeting was held within the framework of the Baltic Council of Ministers and focused on the issues relating to security in the region in the context of further cooperation between the Baltic States, the implementation of NATO Summit decisions and preparations for the NATO Brussels Summit next year. The meeting also addressed current foreign relations issues.
The intergovernmental agreement of the transport infrastructure project "Rail Baltica" was concluded this year; it has also been ratified and has become effective. Addressing the Prime Ministers of other Baltic states, M. Kučinskis said that the amount of work invested in the drafting of the intergovernmental agreement and the ability to agree on important aspects of the project are indicative of constructive cooperation between the Baltic States. M. Kučinskis emphasized that the management of the Rail Baltica infrastructure should be as efficient and economically advantageous as possible in order to provide the highest return on investment and save taxpayers' money.
"Now we must continue to work with equal determination on the implementation of the objective of the agreement - to ensure the building of railway before 2025 in order to enable the full operation of Rail Baltica in 2026," said the Prime Minister.
He also noted that the current development of the project gives a clear signal to the Finnish and Polish partners that the project is on the right track and is aimed at a closer integration of the region.
Turning to energy, it was emphasized that since the opening of the Latvian natural gas market, we are seeing increasing market activity, including growing cooperation among the economic operators of the Baltic States. Our next joint challenge is the creation of a regional gas market of the Baltic States and Finland. Latvia is pleased with the progress in the Balticconnector project, which will provide with the opportunity to integrate the markets of Finland and the Baltic States. At the same time, it is essential to ensure timely implementation of the GIPL project. The GIPL project is particularly important for the security of region's energy supply, as it will enable the Baltic region to connect with the gas market of Central Europe and provide alternative natural gas supply routes. It is important to use existing regional infrastructure efficiently - the project for modernization of the Inčukalns underground gas storage facility plays an important role in promoting the functioning of the regional gas market and improving energy security.
M. Kučinskis emphasized that while the regional gas market coordination group continues work on the creation of a regional gas market, it is important that in 2018 experts reach an agreement on a single concept regarding the basic issues of the regional natural gas market - the creation of a unified tariff zone, a trading platform and a solution for balancing the market, as well as the basic principles of the use of regional infrastructure, which must concentrate on minimizing the burden of infrastructure costs on society and market participants.
As regards the security situation in the region, M. Kučinskis pointed out that the events of the past three or four years have added new intensity to cooperation between the Baltic States in the field of security and defence. Joint efforts allowed us to succeed in creating a successful solution to prevent the threat and ensure the presence of the allies in the region. It was pointed out that in circumstances where the allies' presence has become an important tool that contributes to the development of the armed forces, the Baltic States must promote further integration of defence. The Prime Minister also acknowledged that the decisions taken at the NATO Summit in Warsaw on the strengthening of defence and deterrence capabilities by deploying the allied forces in the Baltic States and Poland are correct, and this policy has to be consistently pursued.
"We are satisfied with the current NATO policy towards Russia. We do not see significant changes in Russia's activities to change it," said M. Kučinskis.
From 2018, Latvia will allocate 2% of the gross domestic product to defence.
This is the closing meeting of the Estonian Presidency of the Baltic Council of Ministers in 2017. In 2018, Lithuania will take over the Presidency of the BCM, and in 2019 - it will be Latvia’s turn for the Presidency.
The Baltic Council of Ministers (BCM) is a framework for co-operation between the governments of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia that was established on 13 June 1994. The BCM’s mission is to ensure continuity of cooperation at the executive level of the states. It is responsible for the co-operation between the governments of the Baltic States, as well as for cooperation between the governments and parliaments.
Andrejs Vaivars
Press Secretary to the Prime Minister
Phone: 29228678
E-mail: Andrejs.Vaivars@mk.gov.lv