Minister Blair meets with Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs and Defence Minister Andris Sprūds

Today, the Honourable Bill Blair, Minister of National Defence, arrived in Latvia for his first official visit to the country. Minister Blair is accompanied by General Wayne Eyre, Chief of the Defence Staff.

December 15, 2023 – Riga, Latvia – National Defence / Canadian Armed Forces

Today, the Honourable Bill Blair, Minister of National Defence, arrived in Latvia for his first official visit to the country. Minister Blair is accompanied by General Wayne Eyre, Chief of the Defence Staff. Over the coming days, Minister Blair and General Eyre will be thanking Canadian Armed Forces members deployed in Latvia, and meeting with Latvian officials to strengthen Canada’s defence relationship with a close NATO Ally.

Minister Blair held a bilateral meeting with his Latvian counterpart, Minister of Defence Andris Sprūds. Minister Blair and Minister Sprūds discussed the excellent defence relationship between Canada and Latvia, which is based on our shared values as NATO Allies and commitment to defending the rules-based international order that keeps our countries safe.

Minister Blair reaffirmed Canada’s commitment to significantly strengthen its military presence in Latvia to support NATO’s deterrence and defence efforts. Minister Blair highlighted that Canada is more than doubling its military presence on Operation REASSURANCE – from about 1,000 troops currently to up to 2,200 persistently deployed troops by 2026, as Canada committed in the July 2023 Roadmap on Scaling the eFP Latvia Battle Group to Brigade.

Minister Blair and Minister Sprūds also discussed their shared support for Ukraine. Minister Blair noted that Canada has committed over $2.4 billion in military aid to Ukraine since February 2022, and over $9.5 billion in total aid to Ukraine since that time.

Minister Blair welcomed Latvia’s strong support for Ukraine, and thanked Minister Sprūds for the collaboration between Canada and Latvia to provide Ukraine with military training. The Canadian Armed Forces and Latvian National Armed Forces are providing combat leadership training to members of the Armed Forces of Ukraine as part of a jointly developed program. Since it began in May 2023, this training has been evolving to incorporate lessons learned from the battlefield in Ukraine.

Minister Blair also travelled to Riga Castle for a meeting with the President of Latvia, Edgars Rinkēvičs. Minister Blair noted that Latvia and Canada are close NATO Allies, united through our strong defence relationship and mutual commitment to supporting Ukraine as it defends itself against Russia’s illegal and unjustifiable war.

Minister Blair and President Rinkēvičs discussed current threats to the Euro-Atlantic Alliance and agreed on the importance of strengthening NATO’s deterrence and defence posture. Minister Blair provided an update on Canada’s progress to scale up its military presence in Latvia, backed by Canada’s commitment of $2.6 billion in funding starting in 2023-24, to renew and expand Operation REASSURANCE.

Canada and Latvia enjoy an excellent defence relationship forged through our shared values and beliefs as NATO Allies.

Quick facts

• Canada enjoys excellent relations with Latvia. Canada was the first G7 country to recognize the restoration of Latvia's independence in 1991, and one of the first countries to ratify Latvia's accession to NATO in 2004.
• NATO is a cornerstone of Canada’s international security policy. Canada believes in and steadfastly supports NATO’s principle of collective defence and is providing direct support to NATO missions and operations.
• Since 2017, Canada has served as Framework Nation for NATO’s enhanced Forward Presence (eFP) in Latvia, leading a multinational battle group composed of ten nations: Albania, Canada, Czechia, Italy, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Spain.
• As Framework Nation, Canada is responsible for coordinating with Latvia and the contributing nations to help set the tone, pace, and vision for the eFP, and providing support to facilitate integration as a single entity.
• Canada contributes the battle group leadership, command and control elements, a mechanized infantry company, an artillery battery, a combat support company, an electronic warfare troop, and a combat service support company.

Contacts

Diana Ebadi
Press Secretary and Communications Advisor
Office of the Minister of National Defence
Email: Diana.Ebadi@forces.gc.ca

Media Relations
Department of National Defence
Phone: 613-904-3333
Email: mlo-blm@forces.gc.ca