LITHUANIA, February 4 - On 4 February, the Heads of Government of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia met in Riga in the format of the Baltic Council of Ministers. Major attention was paid to regional security.

The Baltic Council of Ministers, chaired by Latvia this year, also discussed the progress of the joint infrastructure projects, the Green Deal, and the pandemic.

‘Two months have passed since our last meeting, and the situation in the region remains worrying. Therefore, it is important to continue the dialogue between the Baltic states on common positions. In the face of tensions in the region, it is vital not to accept the narrative imposed by Russia on spheres of interest and aspirations to redraw the European security architecture. The demand to reject NATO’s open door policy tramples on the right of states to choose their own foreign policy and is unacceptable. Therefore, it is especially important to remain united and focused. I have no doubt that we are,’ said Prime Minister Šimonytė.

The Prime Ministers agreed that the Baltic and EU’s assistance and support to Ukraine is very important.

‘The deployment of Russian troops in Belarus is of direct concern to us, hence we must be prepared to respond at EU level. We must send a clear message to Russia and Belarus that the cost of further aggression will be high,’ said the Prime Minister.

Šimonytė emphasised that the Baltic states worked closely in the NATO format, and that the relationship with the United States remained crucial.

The Prime Ministers unanimously agreed that given the current geopolitical situation, it was crucial to ensure that all the synchronization projects were implemented as quickly as possible and without delay.

‘We must achieve the maximum resilience of our power systems as soon as possible, and prepare for isolated work,’ said the Lithuanian Prime Minister.

At the meeting, the Baltic Prime Ministers signed a joint statement of the Baltic states, expressing their desire to seek common positions in the negotiations at the EU level on the implementation of the Green Deal (FF55 package). It will be a tool for the Baltic states to speak with one voice seeking to ensure coherence and balance of all the elements of the package and to coordinate positions on challenges facing the Baltic states.

The pandemic situation and further cooperation to harmonise Covid-19 restrictions across the Baltic states were also discussed.