Vējonis: If we are to preserve our values, we must be able to recognize the reality of threats

On January 19, in his opening speech for the High-level seminar on "Building consensus towards the June 2015 European Council - next steps?", the Minister of Defence Raimonds Vējonis emphasized that Europe needs to find a joint approach to combat the modern security threats as well as remember lessons from the past.

''Our history teaches us how important it is to fight for our values. It also shows us the need to take all necessary measures to prevent war. Right now, it is most important to remember these lessons of history, taking into account today’s security situation. We must not shy away from the difficult decisions which will be necessary to guarantee our security and prosperity,'' R.Vējonis pointed out in his opening speech for the Seminar on the EU Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP).

The Minister of Defence emphasized that Europe needs to know how to stand up for its interests. ''If we want to protect the international system on which our society is built, we must be able to recognize the reality of these threats and adapt to meet them,'' stressed R.Vējonis.

R.Vējonis pointed out that Europe has a lot of work to do to tackle broad variety of security threats: firstly, we need to review our strategic documents; secondly, it is necessary to promote cooperation within the EU and with our partners within the framework of CSDP; thirdly, the EU and NATO cooperation must be improved; fourthly, a comprehensive EU approach to hybrid threats must be found; fifthly, the challenges posed by cyber security threats have to be adequately addressed; sixthly, it is necessary to facilitate the implementation of the Maritime Security Strategy Action Plan.

As previously reported, on January 19-20 a high-level seminar "Building consensus towards the June 2015 European Council - next steps?" takes place at the Latvian War Museum to prepare for the forthcoming European Council discussion on defence matters. The seminar is web-streamed on the Youtube account of the Latvian National Armed Forces (LatvijasArmija): https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=CqeBNC94IGs

The seminar is attended by representatives from the EU Ministries of Defence as well as representatives of the academic community. They are discussing about the ways of enhancing the development of the EU capabilities, challenges of strengthening Europe`s Defence Industry, as well as the role of the EU CSDP in the global security environment.

The next European Council meeting on these topics will be held this June in Brussels. During the meeting the progress of all the above-mentioned matters will be evaluated, as well as further guidelines for improving the CSDP efficiency will be provided.

Media contacts:
Anete Gnēze, Senior Desk Officer of the Media Relations Section
Military Public Affairs Department
Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Latvia
Phone: 00 371 67335093; Cell: 00 371 26474087
E-mail: anete.gneze@mod.gov.lv
Website: www.mod.gov.lv