(Front L-R): Artis Pabriks, Latvia's Deputy PM, Minister of Defence; François Bausch, Luxembourg's Deputy PM, Minister of Defence; (behind far right) Paul Schmit, Luxembourg's Ambassador to Latvia and Lithuania;
Credit: SIP / Emmanuel Claude
From 2 to 4 May 2022, Luxembourg's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, François Bausch, together with the Chief of Staff of the Luxembourg Army, General Steve Thull, paid a working visit to Latvia.
This working visit included a visit to the main air force base in Latvia and a work meeting at the Latvian Ministry of Defence.
Minister Bausch met with his Latvian counterpart, Artis Pabriks, after laying flowers at the Colonel Oskars Kalpaks Memorial, which honours the eponymous hero of Latvian independence.
The discussions at the Latvian Ministry of Defence focused, among other issues, on bilateral defence cooperation, Baltic concerns over the Russian threat, the European Union's (EU) strategic compass and the role of NATO, especially in light of the war in Ukraine and the possible NATO membership of Finland and Sweden.
"My visit here represents a sign of solidarity with our Baltic allies and a show of respect regarding their fears in the face of a particularly tense security environment following the Russian invasion of Ukraine", Luxembourg's Defence Minister stated during the meeting.
On Tuesday 3 May 2022, Jănis Sărts, Director of the NATO Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence (CoE), briefed François Bausch on the importance of communication in hybrid warfare as well as on Russian information and disinformation influence operations in the context of the current war in Ukraine. This centre of excellence focuses on improving strategic communication capability by offering analyses of the information environment.
Later on in the day, Minister Bausch visited the Lielvărde Air Base, where he attended a presentation of the Latvian Air Force and demonstrations during a tour of the air base.
Since 2020, Luxembourg's Directorate of Defence has been supporting Latvia in its efforts to protect the environment and clean up military sites by co-financing the pollution remediation of the Lielvărde base, among others. This project demonstrates the importance that both countries attach to environmental protection in the framework of defence policy.
"My visit here is of particular importance, since it is only on site that you really become aware of the security concerns of the local population and authorities in the face of the Russian aggression. We must continue all our efforts to help Ukraine repel the Russian invasion", François Bausch stated during the visit.
The Defence Minister also highlighted the excellent bilateral relations between Latvia and Luxembourg: "By the time the decontamination projects are finished, the [Luxembourg] Directorate of Defence will have invested several million euros in Latvian defence. And we plan to deepen this relationship by sharing images from our future observation satellite to be launched next year. I also see a huge potential for future cooperation in the field of cyber defence".
The visit concluded with both ministers flying over the base in a historical An-2 aircraft of the Latvian Air Force.
On Tuesday afternoon, during a visit to the Ădaži Military Base, François Bausch met with Colonel Sandris Gaugers, Commander of the Latvian Land Forces Mechanised Infantry Brigade, and Lieutenant Colonel Dan Richel of NATO's enhanced Forward Presence (eFP) Battlegroup in Latvia. In 2017, the Directorate of Defence financed the construction of one building of the base.
On Wednesday 4 May 2022, the Luxembourg delegation attended the military parade in Saldus, which was held on the occasion of the Restoration of Independence Day of the Republic of Latvia in the presence of Latvian President Egils Levits and Defence Minister Artis Pabriks.
