NATO membership allows Latvia to feel safe, Latvia’s Ambassador to the Republic of Moldova Edgars Bondars stated during the public debate “How can small countries defend themselves?”. The Latvian diplomat expressed his hope that the war in Ukraine will not expand and a just solution will be found to end this tragedy. Latvian society categorically condemns Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and his country acts according to the principle “If you want peace, prepare for war”.
The Latvian ambassador to the Republic of Moldova spoke about the history of his country, noting that belonging to the USSR meant a period of regression for Latvia. Both Latvian society and the authorities in Riga support Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression. Latvia provided military assistance to Ukraine just hours before the start of the war.
“At the end of the 1930s, Latvia, according to statistical data, was at the level of Switzerland at that time and Finland, but the war and the Soviet occupation dragged the country back a lot. Now our society is quite divided. However, the attitude towards the war in Ukraine is very negative. Since the beginning of the war there have been various demonstrations against this war. Subsequently, society and the state institutions began to collect money for various needs. At the same time, a Twitter Convoy movement began, through which people made their cars available to the Ukrainians. Over 1,000 means of transport were transmitted. This is in addition to the help offered by the Government. A few hours before the start of the war, Latvia transmitted Jovelin missiles to Ukraine. These Jovelin missiles were successfully used in the first days of the war,” said the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Latvia to the Republic of Moldova.
The Latvian diplomat noted that his country has been a NATO member since 2004 and the affiliation with the military bloc is a security shield. He described as inexplicable Russia’s attempt to conquer territories, at a time when the supremacy of a state is determined by the quality of life of citizens.
“Latvia is looking very realistically at the situation in Ukraine. We have the lessons learned since 1940. However, our membership in NATO allows us to feel safer. We know the Roman maxim: “If you want peace, you must prepare for war”. I hope that this war will not expand and a just solution will be found. From my point of view, imperialist thinking belongs to the twentieth century, in the twenty-first century this thinking must be overcome. Imperialist thinking and actions represent only destruction. Today the world works according to economic principles, and the increase in people’s quality of life can take place not on account of territorial conquests, but on account of the market economy. To destroy something just to get territories, in the 21st century, is nonsense,” the Latvian diplomat pointed out.
The ambassador expressed his hope that his country will become a member state of the UN Security Council for a two-year term and thus contribute to the restoration of international peace and security.
“The United Nations was created after World War II to ensure world peace and order. Today, the UN rostrum remains the only universal tribune where all states can state their position. But it is clear that it is now necessary to reform the UN. All decisions are made extremely hard and some decisions are no longer in step with the times. Latvia is a candidate state to be a member of the Security Council. In this way, we will be able to contribute to stabilizing the situation worldwide. The decision will be taken next year, in 2025, for the period 2026-2027 when Latvia can be a member of the Security Council. If we talk about the neutrality of one state, the other states must respect this status of neutrality,” said Ambassador Edgars Bondars.
The public debate entitled “How can small countries defend themselves?” was is the 311th installment of the series “Developing political culture through public debates”, which is carried out by IPN News Agency with the support of the Hanns Seidel Foundation.
