The Diplomat
The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, reiterated yesterday in Madrid before the Prime Minister of Latvia, Arturs Krišjānis Kariņš, Spain’s commitment to NATO’s eastern flank, confirmed with the recent dispatch of another one hundred Spanish troops to the Alliance’s mission in the Baltic country.
Sánchez held a bilateral meeting with Kariņš yesterday at La Moncloa to address bilateral relations, the topics of the upcoming European Council on June 24-25 – the war in Ukraine and its global consequences, sanctions on Russia and security and defense issues – and the upcoming NATO Summit in Madrid.
During the meeting, according to Moncloa, the President of the Government assured that Spain is “fully committed” to security on NATO’s eastern flank and recalled that Spain’s commitment to NATO’s eastern flank is evidenced by the recent decision of our country to reinforce, with one hundred more troops, the contingent of more than 500 Spanish military personnel operating in Latvia in the framework of the Enhanced Forward Presence of the Atlantic Alliance.
Likewise, Spain has sent a battery of anti-aircraft defense missiles to the country to reinforce deterrence and prevention tasks. Spain also supports the deterrence dimension of the Atlantic Alliance from Lithuania, where our country has deployed eight F-18 fighters and 130 troops at the Šiauliai base, within the framework of the Baltic Air Police.
Both leaders also discussed the upcoming NATO Summit in Madrid, where, in addition to adopting the Alliance’s new Strategic Concept for the next ten years, the candidatures of Sweden and Finland to the Atlantic Alliance will be presented.
Likewise, and with regard to Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine, Sánchez reiterated Spain’s support for the involvement of the International Criminal Court in the investigation of possible war crimes against the Ukrainian people. The Prime Minister also recalled that the world is facing the social and economic consequences of the war and, therefore, recalled that Spain has approved 31 million euros in humanitarian aid for Ukraine and neighboring countries, with special attention to Moldova, to alleviate the consequences of the war.
Trade relations between Spain and Latvia generated for our country a surplus of 124 million in 2021. Spain exported to Latvia last year to the value of 280 million euros and imported to the value of nearly 156 million euros. These economic relations, according to Moncloa, could be deepened in areas such as infrastructure, a sector in which Spanish companies have great specialization and experience.
