The State Secretary discusses the EU, security and foreign policy issues with his Baltic and German colleagues in Riga

On 6 October 2020, the State Secretary of the Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Andris Pelšs, met with the State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia, Rainer Saks; the Vice-Minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania, Neris Germanas; and the State Secretary the Federal Foreign Office of Germany, Miguel Berger, for a discussion on topics of current importance for the European Union, NATO, and European security, as well as matters on a broader international agenda.

The officials commended the successful cooperation between the Baltic States and Germany both bilaterally and in multilateral formats. Andris Pelšs noted that Germany is an important strategic partner for Latvia and the Baltic region. He also thanked Germany for its major contribution to NATO’s collective defence and strengthening security in the Baltic region.

In a discussion on the EU’s external policy, the parties shared the view that the COVID-19 pandemic has also affected the EU agenda, and that Germany, upon assuming the Presidency of the Council of the EU, was confronted with a number of serious challenges. The participants welcomed the agreement between the EU’s heads of state and government on the EU Multiannual Financial Framework and the European Union Recovery Instrument.

The State Secretaries also addressed global and security policy matters underscoring the need for maintaining a united front on the key issues, for instance, on developments in the neighbourhood, notably in Belarus and Ukraine. At the same time, the indispensable role of the transatlantic link was also highlighted for the European and global security and the growth of economic relations.

The officials expressed concern over the developments in Nagorno-Karabakh and called on both the sides to immediately cease violence in the region and start the settlement of the conflict through a diplomatic dialogue. Andris Pelšs underlined that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict can only be resolved by peaceful means on the basis of the principles of international law and the work of the OSCE Minsk Group.