Baiba Braže and Gabrielius Landsbergis: Security of the EU’s eastern border is critical – it is the first security line

Security and defence, the results of the NATO summit and the next steps in the practical implementation of its decisions, the situation in Ukraine, further support for the combat capabilities of Ukraine and a strategy for containing Russia, current developments in the EU, including its enlargement process, bilateral, regional and international cooperation between the two countries in the EU, NATO, the UN, and other formats – those were key topics discussed by the Latvian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Baiba Braže, the Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Gabrielius Landsbergis, and experts from the Foreign Services of both the countries at the seminar in Lithuania on 26 August 2024.

The two Foreign Ministers welcomed the close cooperation and support between Latvia and Lithuania in bilateral relations and multilateral formats alike, which are particularly important in the current geopolitical situation.

Foreign Minister Baiba Braže: “Lithuania is our neighbour and friend and we will continue strengthening our cooperation towards an even more effective coordination of information sharing and an even more rapid response. Together with Lithuania, we are guarding not only the external border of our countries but also that of the EU and NATO, and we are now fighting common threats – including hybrid threats from Russia, the instrumentalisation of migration, intense sabotage cases, and circumvention of sanctions, aimed at destabilising EU countries. We had an in-depth discussion on issues and regional cooperation in the protection of the EU-NATO eastern border.”

Baiba Braže also underlines: “Ukraine has been, and will remain our common priority, and we will continue through all possible channels and formats – the Baltic States and the Nordic countries (NB8), the EU, NATO, the UN and others – to advocate support for Ukraine until its victory on the battlefield. In parallel, work needs to be done on a strategy to contain Russia, which includes a coordinated EU-wide effort on the next rounds of EU sanctions against Russia and Belarus and the alignment of sanctions, as well as the action by Member States to ensure an effective implementation of the existing sanctions and prevent them from being circumvented.”

The officials agreed that the goods to be shipped should be subject to a stricter control at the national level of EU Member States, in the countries of their origin and declaration.

The Latvian and Lithuanian delegations also made a visit to the border control post at Lithuania’s border with Belarus, Adutiškis, accompanied by the chiefs of the Lithuanian and Latvian border guard authorities. Lithuanian border guards introduced the Latvian Foreign Minister to the current situation at the Lithuanian-Belarusian border. The staff of the national border guard authorities and the delegations of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs discussed the day-to-day challenges, mainly related to the control of EU sanctions against Russia and Belarus.

Baiba Braže inspected the border and thanked the Lithuanian State Border Guard Service for their cooperation and support to the Latvian State Border Guard as they are protecting the Baltic, EU and NATO borders together. The Minister highlighted the huge contribution and intensive work of the responsible services of Latvia and Lithuania to effectively implement the sanctions imposed and prevent them from being circumvented through high-grade controls at the external border of the EU and NATO. She also informed those present about her two-day trip to the eastern border of Latvia, the EU and NATO, where she visited customs and border control posts of Terehova (on the route to Russia) and Pāternieki (to Belarus).

Besides security- and defence-related topics, the Ministers agreed that another valuable example of bilateral cooperation was the annual Balts’ Award – this year in autumn, it will be presented in Latvia. The first Balts’ Award was presented in 2018, when Latvia and Lithuania celebrated the centenary of their states.

This year’s seminar, organised by the Latvian and Lithuanian Ministries of Foreign Affairs for the eighth consecutive year, is taking place in Paliesė, Lithuania. Its aim is to strengthen bilateral relations between Latvia and Lithuania through discussing international, regional and bilateral cooperation. In 2025, the seminar will be hosted by Latvia.

Photo: Ilze Salnāja, Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Further information

• The Latvian and Lithuanian Foreign Ministries will hold their annual seminar in Paliesė, Lithuania and at the Adutiškis border crossing point with Belarus
• Baiba Braže at the eastern border: we have a special role to play – we also guard the external borders of the EU and NATO
• Foreign Minister Baiba Braže and the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell underline continued support for Ukraine and discuss developments at the EU and NATO eastern border
• Baiba Braže at EU Foreign Affairs Council: our security as EU Member States and Allies is closely linked to Ukraine’s success on the battlefield