Spain and Latvia establish political consultations and discuss the Spanish mission in the Baltic

Eduardo González Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braže took advantage of her official visit to Madrid, which began Thursday and concludes this Friday, to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with Spain for the establishment of a political consultation mechanism and to directly address and express her gratitude for the work of the Spanish contingent deployed in her country within the framework of the NATO Multinational Brigade. The Spanish Foreign Minister was received on Thursday by the Minister of Defense, Margarita Robles, with whom she visited the 12th "Guadarrama" Brigade at the "El Goloso" Military Base and met with the Spanish troops stationed in her country. "Our commitment to peace, to the Alliance, is strong, and we will continue working together," Robles stated during the visit. "Latvia appreciates Spain's crucial contribution to the NATO Multinational Brigade in Latvia," the Latvian minister wrote on social media. Spain has been deployed in Latvia since 2017 and contributes a ground contingent that is part of the Canadian-led Baltic Multinational Brigade, which includes more than 600 Spanish service members. One of the main units of the Spanish contribution, according to the Ministry of Defense, is the 12th Brigade, which has a long history of international missions. It currently participates with individual units, but in 2023 it became the base generating unit for the contingent. Spanish service members are deployed at Adazi Base, where they perform instruction, training, and operational planning functions. They also participate in multinational defensive exercises within the framework of the Atlantic Alliance. Spain also has a NASAMS battery with 87 personnel deployed in Latvia to support NATO air and missile defense. Since the start of the mission, more than 8,500 personnel have participated, in rotations of approximately 500 service members. Albares Following the meeting with Robles, Baiba Braže was received this Friday at the ministerial headquarters in the Viana Palace in Madrid by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, with whom she signed a Memorandum of Understanding on political consultations that will allow for deeper coordination in political, economic, and cultural matters, as well as within the European Union. According to the Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, this Memorandum provides for regular contacts at the ministerial and expert levels to promote closer cooperation and the exchange of views. During the meeting, Albares defended the mobilization of the EU budget to strengthen European security and advocated for a broad approach to European security, addressing all threats beyond the strictly military and all hotbeds of instability, including the southern flank. He also emphasized the need for a solid European industrial base and told the Latvian minister that the measures proposed by the European Commission are a good first step in that direction. The minister also reiterated Spain's commitment to the security of Latvia and the Baltic region and stressed the need to continue providing military and financial aid to Ukraine and to strengthen sanctions against Russia so that Volodymyr Zelensky's government can approach negotiations from a position of strength, the objective of which must be "a just and sustainable peace that guarantees its sovereignty." On a bilateral level, the two ministers discussed the Rail Baltica project for the construction of a high-speed, European-gauge railway line through the three Baltic countries, with the participation of major Spanish companies. They also highlighted Latvia's decision to include Spanish as a foreign language in formal education following the 2024 education reform.

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