Contents tagged with Latvia

  • Latvia will purchase used mortars from Austria

    On April 30, TASS wrote that Latvia would purchase second-hand, 120mm mortars from Austria. This was reported by the local news agency LETA with reference to the Minister of Defense of the Republic Raimonds Bergmanis.

    "The number of mortars to be purchased was not specified by the Ministry of Defense, however it was noted that their delivery is provided for by a bilateral agreement between the Latvian Defense Ministry and the Austrian Ministry of Defense and Sports for the supply of self- …

  • The Speaker of the Latvian Parliament said the presence of US troops in the region is 'the decisive factor of security'

    The permanent military presence of the United States troops in the Baltic countries is a critical factor in maintaining security in the region, as stated by the Speaker of the Latvian Saeima, Inara Murniece, during a meeting with the Speaker of the House of Representatives of the US Congress, Paul Ryan, in Washington, Delfi reported.

    “We highly appreciate the strengthening of the presence of NATO forces in the Baltic region by sending combat groups. But for us the constant military presence …

  • Latvia to purchase machine guns for 5.5 million euros

    The Ministry of Defense of Latvia is spending more than 5.5 million euros on the purchase of machine guns and their components, reported the Delfi news portal.

    7.62- and 12.7-millimeter machine guns and the components for their maintenance will be supplied by the Belgian arms company FN Herstal.

    The weapons were procured through negotiations rather than holding a tender. The machine guns will be used by the regular troops of the National Armed Forces and the units of the Zemessardze, the …

  • Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia will continue the project of a unified Baltic battalion

    The project to create a unified Baltic Battalion with the participation of the Estonian, Latvian, and Lithuanian military will be continued under the leadership of Latvia, as agreed to by the commanders of the defense forces of the three countries at a meeting in Riga, Delfi reported.

    They noted that the Baltic Battalion is the common contribution by their states to their own security and to the security of NATO.

    "In addition to adopting and integrating in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania a …

  • The Latvian government will allocate nearly 9 million euros for deployment of NATO battalion

    The Latvian government has decided to allocate preliminary financing in the amount of 8.9 million euros for the deployment of a multinational battalion of the North Atlantic Alliance (NATO) on the territory of the Republic.

    As the Republic’s Ministry of Defense noted, they are speaking of the presence of the NATO force, led by Canada.

    "The main items of expenditure are food; drinking water; the purchase of portable toilets, sinks and other equipment; as well as fuel, lubricants and military …

  • Germany deployed a mobile radar system to Latvia

    The Bundeswehr deployed a mobile air control and alert center in Latvia, as reported by the Ministry of Defense of the Baltic Republic on Tuesday, April 18th. The radar installation was placed at the Air Force Base in Lielvarde, located about 50 km from Riga. It will remain there for three months while the German military will be training Latvian soldiers to service the equipment.

    The German Military brought this monitoring system to Latvia last year. The deployment of this equipment was …

  • Russian submarines were spotted near the borders of Latvia

    The National Armed Forces of Latvia reported that two Russian Navy submarines were spotted in the republic’s economic zone about 10 km from the state border.

    "On April 16, two Russian Kilo-class submarines were discovered at a distance of 5.5 nautical miles from the Latvian border in its exclusive economic zone," the National Armed Forces of Latvia reported via Twitter.

    In addition, at the distance of 20 nautical miles from the territorial waters a Kashtan-class submarine support vessel was …

  • NATO begins large-scale exercises in Latvia

    NATO Summer Shield exercises will start in Latvia on April 17th. More than 1,200 soldiers, including 200 from Estonian military, will take part in them, reported the Headquarters of the Estonian Defense Forces.

    More than 200 Estonian soldiers will take part in the NATO Summer Shield exercises, which will be held in Latvia at the training camp in Adazi from April 17th to 30th, the report said.

    The Summer Shield international military exercises will be held at the Adazi training ground and …

  • Prime Minister of Latvia: Russia's actions in the Donbas contradict the Minsk agreements

    Russian actions in eastern Ukraine contradict the Minsk Agreements and in no way contribute to the resolution of the conflict, as stated by the Prime Minister of Latvia, Māris Kučinskis, during a speech at the Kyiv Security Forum.

    "We see very little progress towards the Minsk Agreements and the resolution of the conflict. Taking into consideration the actions of Russia in recent months, especially in eastern Ukraine, I believe that we must change our approach in cooperating with Russia," Kuč …

  • Prime Ministers of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia said they will never recognize the annexation of the Crimea

    Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia promised to never recognize the legitimacy of the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation as was stated in a joint statement by the Prime Ministers of the Baltic countries and the head of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, Volodymyr Groysman following a meeting in Kyiv.

    “We strongly condemn Russia's aggression against Ukraine and stress that the sanctions imposed on Russia must remain in place until the Minsk Agreements are fully implemented and Ukraine's …