Source: NATO
President Rinkēvičs,
Dear Edgars,
It is great to be back in Riga to meet you again.
And thank you for hosting me and my delegation for our meeting earlier today and also for hosting the B9 Summit later today.
And let me also thank you for bestowing on me the Three Star Order, this is really an honour for me and recognition to the important work that NATO has been doing over the last decade.
For 20 years, Latvia has been a valued and reliable NATO Ally.
You host a Canadian-led battlegroup, strengthening our deterrence and defence.
You contribute to our peacekeeping mission in Kosovo, and our capacity building mission in Iraq.
And on defence spending, Latvia leads by example,
Spending over 2% of GDP on defence,
And with a pledge to increase that figure to 3% by 2027.
Latvia also provides robust military support to Ukraine.
You provide extensive military training to Ukrainian soldiers.
You lead a coalition that works with industry to supply drones.
And you contribute to the Czech-led initiative to provide more artillery shells.
When NATO leaders meet in Washington in July, Allies will take important steps on three issues.
First, Allies will agree to step up our support to Ukraine for the long haul.
I expect that NATO will take the lead in coordinating the provision of equipment and training.
And that Allies will make a financial commitment to support Ukraine for as long as it takes.
Second, we will address our deterrence and defence.
Allies are stepping up our efforts on defence spending.
And I expect around two-thirds of Allies to invest at least 2% of GDP in defence this year.
Since 2014, NATO has implemented the largest reinforcement of our collective defence in a generation.
We have put in place the most comprehensive defence plans since the Cold War.
We have more troops at higher readiness, backed by substantial naval and air power.
We are also stepping up defence production,
And ensuring that Allies are investing more together.
This reduces costs and increases interoperability.
So let there be no doubt as to our ability to deter our adversaries and defend our Allies.
NATO has the forces, resources, capabilities and the political will to defend every Ally.
Finally, we will work on further boosting our partnerships around the globe.
As we have seen in Ukraine, security is not regional, it is global.
So it is essential that we work with our partners on our shared security concerns.
So, President, dear Edgars,
Thank you once again for your hospitality.
I look forward to our discussions at the B9 Summit.