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In these turbulent times, with the war raging in Ukraine, we must stand more united than ever before. Russia is continuing its violent war of aggression, and we must do everything possible to hold it accountable for its atrocities. At the same time, as like-minded countries united by common values—freedom, independence, and democracy—we must work shoulder to shoulder to strengthen the security of our region. This is our top priority, stated Edvards Smiltēns, Speaker of the Saeima, on Thursday, 24 August, during a meeting with Andreas Norlén, Speaker of the Swedish Parliament.
NATO is a significant contributor to the region’s security, and we support Sweden’s accession to the Alliance in the nearest possible future. This is decisive for the security of the entire Baltic Sea region at a time when it is facing imminent long-term threat caused by Russia, underlined Smiltēns. The Speaker of the Riksdag emphasised that Sweden was progressing towards the goal of allocating two percent of its GDP to the national defence budget.
Both parties concurred on the need to strengthen not only the region’s defence and deterrence capabilities, but also its social, economic, and energy resilience.
The Speaker of the Saeima expressed high appreciation for Sweden’s firm stance regarding Russia’s war against Ukraine as well as its support and military assistance to Ukraine, and noted that the single most important task of the day was to stop Russian aggression and free Ukrainian territories. The Speakers agreed that military aid to Ukraine as well as support for its accession to the EU and NATO should continue. In addition, The Speakers agreed that there was more to be done in this regard both in bilateral as well as in Nordic-Baltic (NB8) formats.
As to economic cooperation, on behalf of Latvia, Smiltēns expressed appreciation for its active cooperation with Sweden, which is Latvia’s largest investor and fifth largest trade partner.
In Latvia, Sweden has invested in finance, wood processing, telecommunications, real estate, and other sectors. According to Smiltēns, it is in our interests to further investments in energy and infrastructure projects, as well as to strengthen digital, research, and innovation cooperation.
The Speaker of the Saeima thanked his Swedish counterpart for coordinating the NB8 parliamentary cooperation in 2023 and affirmed Latvia’s readiness to take over the role next year.
The Speaker of the Saeima is on a visit to the Kingdom of Sweden until 25 August, where he is participating in the annual meeting of parliament speakers of NB8 countries. The meeting agenda includes support for Ukraine in the war against Russia, regional security, the results of the NATO Vilnius Summit, and other topical cooperation issues.
The NB8 format brings together five Nordic countries—Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Finland, and Sweden—and the three Baltic States—Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia. The NB8 format is a platform for regular meetings between prime ministers, MPs, and other state officials.
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Saeima Press Service