War in Iran must not overshadow support for Ukraine - Rinkevics

RIGA - The war in Iran must not overshadow military and financial support for Ukraine, President Edgars Rinkevics told reporters at a joint press conference with Czech President Petr Pavel at Riga Castle on Tuesday.

Latvia and the Czech Republic are close allies with a shared understanding of NATO and European Union issues, said Rinkevics. He thanked Pavel for the Czech munitions program initiative, which was also supported by Latvia. As a result, Ukraine received the necessary artillery shells at a critical time.

Pavel stressed that resolving the conflict in Ukraine was important for Europe's security and noted that Latvia and the Czech Republic continued to support Ukraine in all available ways - militarily, financially and politically. At the same time, pressure should be put on Russia to start negotiations with Ukraine, as so far Russia has shown no willingness to negotiate a peaceful solution and continues to make unrealistic demands, which would in effect mean Ukraine's complete surrender, said Pavel.

Latvia considers Iran to be an aggressive country pursuing an aggressive foreign policy against the Gulf countries and supporting Russia in its war against Ukraine, said Rinkevics. Iran's attacks on the countries of the region are unacceptable to Latvia as they could lead to escalation. Latvia would like to see a diplomatic path, with Iran abandoning its nuclear program and aggressive foreign policy, which could help resolve the conflict, he said.

Pavel noted that the situation in the Middle East also had an impact on EU security and the EU should continue discussions on how to respond. Europe is not actively involved in resolving the conflict: no political consultations have been launched and Europe is not involved in coordinating issues either with the United States or Israel, even though the situation directly affects Europe, he said.

Rinkevics thanked the Czech Republic for participation in the NATO multinational brigade in Latvia, where Czech soldiers have been serving for several years. The Czech Republic has also taken part in the Baltic Air Policing mission. Furthermore, many Latvian officers studied at Czech military schools in the 1990s and 2000s.

The two presidents noted strong interest of companies from both countries in developing cooperation in energy, defense industry and transport. The Czech president added that both sides had identified opportunities to expand business cooperation also in biotechnology. A business forum will be held during the Czech president's visit to Latvia, which will be attended by businesspeople from the Czech Republic and Latvia.

Pavel also stressed the importance of direct contacts between people, namely student exchange programs and tourism, facilitated by direct flights between the two countries.

As reported, during his state visit to Latvia Pavel will also meet with Prime Minister Evika Silina (New Unity) and Saeima deputy speaker Zanda Kalnina-Lukasevica (New Unity).

On Tuesday, Rinkevics and the Czech President will lay flowers at the Freedom Monument, open the Latvian-Czech Business Forum and visit the Latvian Occupation Museum.

On Wednesday, the officials will visit the Adazi military base. The Czech President and his spouse will also visit Bauska Castle.