National Security Concept sets out Latvia's priorities for addressing threats related to national security

On Tuesday 24 September, the Cabinet of Ministers examined the draft National Security Concept prepared by the Ministry of the Interior, and decided to direct it for consideration by the National Security Council and for approval by the Saeima.

The National Security Concept is a document prepared on the basis of the analysis of threats to the state, which sets out the strategic principles and priorities for the prevention of threats to national security.

Following the approval of the Concept, work will be undertaken on the development of the National Security Plan, including specific, binding measures to be implemented to mitigate or eliminate threats related to national security.

 “This isn't just a conceptual report to put in a drawer. It would be necessary to have knowledge of this report and remember that every resident of Latvia participates in the protection of his or her country. It would be necessary for each resident of Latvia to comply with daily security measures and to detect early the risks, which endanger national security, as well as to take appropriate measures to prevent security risks. Internal security, external security and civil participation are interlinked in the National Security Concept. This is the right formula for effective collective national defence,” said Minister for the Interior Sandis Ģirģens.

The National Security Concept defines Latvia's priorities for addressing threats in seven of the most pressing areas: military threats; threats posed by foreign intelligence and security services; cyber threats; threats posed to internal security and constitutional system; threats to Latvia's information space; threats to Latvia's economy; threats posed by international terrorism.

This National Security Concept, compared to the previous concept that was approved by the Saeima in 2015, looks at individual threat areas in more detail, as well as more closely reflects the priority directions to prevent the threats, particularly in the sections on cyberspace and information space.

The National Security Concept highlights the fact that the international security environment has not improved since 2015. New threats have emerged and their spectrum has increased significantly, particularly in view of the increasing hybrid threats, including cyber security risks.

The Concept states that threats to Latvia's national security are related to the development of the situation in the international security environment, Russia’s military activities in the vicinity of Latvia's borders, malicious cyber-activities and international terrorism trends. The threat is also posed by the efforts of individual foreign states to influence the state of Latvia, society and its values through political, humanitarian, informative and economic means, the foreign political course of the country, as well as internal political stability.

The National Security Concept also highlights the need to involve the entire public administration in overcoming threats to national security by defining clear measures to strengthen its capacity. In this context, one of the fundamental tasks of the National Security Concept is the development of a common understanding within the public administration institutions regarding the current threats to Latvia's national security and possibilities to overcome these threats.