International and regional cooperation
The Latvian Ministry of Defence has currently accredited 8 defence attachés in 18 countries:
- United States (resident in Washington).
- Germany, Austria and France (resident in Berlin).
- Canada (resident in Ottawa).
- Turkey, Azerbaijan and Georgia (resident in Ankara).
- Ukraine and Moldova (resident in Kiev) - 2 defence attachés.
- Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland (resident in Stockholm).
- Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary (resident in Warsaw).
Defence attachés provide significant support regarding the implementation of practical defence co-operation with the above countries. In their respective countries of accreditation, defence attachés protect the national interests and the national defence interests, act in the capacity of the military advisor to the Latvian Ambassador, promote and facilitate co-operation between the Republic of Latvia and these countries, co-ordinate the implementation of bilateral co-operation plans between the Latvian defence sector and these countries and inform on military and political processes taking place in these countries. The formation of the Latvian defence policy is a complex task that requires simultaneous development of both national security and foreign policy elements, which are most directly and closely related to the defence diplomacy field. Thus both of these aspects are equally important for defence diplomacy.
With the growing importance of military and power politics in the relations between countries, good international relations of our country with the allies and partners of the European Union and NATO are utmost important. Latvia maintains such ties with the aim of developing a common understanding of regional security threats, thus, in case of need, receiving allied political and military support. Close bilateral cooperation promotes allied investments in the development of the military capabilities of the Latvian National Armed Forces. Latvia, together with other NATO countries, provides security support to partner countries.