On Wednesday, Rinkēvičs met with colleagues from the Baltic States and the Nordic countries (NB8) in a video conference to discuss topical issues of foreign policy. Speaking about the recent events in Belarus, the Minister also thanked his colleagues for their solidarity and support in connection with the expulsion of the Latvian Ambassador and diplomats.
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Ministers also addressed developments in Russia, Ukraine and the Middle East. In a discussion on the forthcoming NATO summit, Rinkēvičs noted that the United States remains the closest ally and plays a key role in European security. The Minister emphasized that transatlantic cooperation is a cornerstone of our security and that we need to use the current positive climate of cooperation with the US administration to further develop the transatlantic partnership and the need for a regular and more structured dialogue on the broad EU-US agenda.
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The Minister also emphasized that the EU-US summit planned for June is a great opportunity to demonstrate at a high level a coordinated approach to global challenges, such as Russia, China, Iran, Afghanistan, limiting misinformation, and coordinating sanctions.
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In the discussion on China, Rinkēvičs noted the need for a coordinated position of NB8 countries. Sweden reported on developments in the work of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), Estonia and Norway on developments at the UN, and Iceland provided an overview of progress in coordinating the work of the Arctic Council. Rinkēvičs emphasized that Latvia is aware of its interests in the Arctic and is preparing an application for observer status in the Arctic Council.
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According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the NB8 format includes Denmark, Estonia, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Finland and Sweden. In 2021, the work of NB8 will be coordinated by Finland, with the main task of economic recovery following the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic through digitalisation, innovation and climate policy.
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