Landsbergis and his Latvian counterpart visited the Adutiškis border crossing point: “This is where our responsibility for the collective defence and security of the West begins”
On Monday, 26 August, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania, Gabrielius Landsbergis, together with his Latvian counterpart Baiba Braže, visited the Adutiškis border crossing point to discuss the protection of the European Union’s external borders and cooperation between the countries in strengthening regional security. At the same time, General Rustamas Liubajevas, Commander of the State Border Guard Service, and the Chief of Latvia’s State Border Guard, General Guntis Pujāts, presented the infrastructure for the protection of the EU’s external borders and the situation at the external borders in the region.
“ This is where our collective defence and security commitments begin. It is here that the continuous fight against the increasingly threatening hybrid attacks from the Kremlin and the Lukashenko regimes takes place, and the instrumentalisation of illegal migration is among those attacks,” Landsbergis said after the meeting.
According to Landsbergis, the hybrid attacks are a ruthless reminder of the threat that authoritarian regimes pose to our democratic order and democracy as a way of life in our countries.
“To protect them, Lithuania, Latvia, and our other allies must remain vigilant and united, and come to each other’s aid without delay if necessary. When dictators across the border started sending illegal migrants to Lithuania, Latvia lent a helping hand. Our Border Guard team is already working at the Latvian border,” Landsbergis said.
The Foreign Ministers also discussed the geopolitical situation in the region, the need to increase military support to Ukraine in the fight against Russia’s aggression, the accountability of the aggressor Russia and its accomplice Belarus, and infrastructure projects.
“We put every effort into increasing military support for Ukraine, ensuring that negotiations on Ukraine’s membership in the European Union move forward confidently, and taking significant steps towards Ukraine’s membership in NATO. By tightening sanctions against Russia and its accomplice Belarus, we aim to isolate them further. Today, Lithuanian and Latvian diplomats have discussed how to achieve these goals more effectively,” Landsbergis said.
On Monday, the traditional annual informal consultations of the Lithuanian and Latvian Foreign Ministries took place at Paliesius Manor. During the consultations, the topics of regional security, support for Ukraine, sanctions on Russia and Belarus, cooperation within international organisations, current affairs of the EU, and the implementation of regional infrastructure projects were discussed.
This year, the informal consultations of the Lithuanian and Latvian Foreign Ministries aimed to strengthen cooperation between the two countries, took place for the eighth time.
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