Riga, 1 December 2021 (TDI): The United States Secretary of State, Antony J. Blinken, arrived in Riga to participate in the ongoing North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Foreign Ministerial.
During the Ministerial, Secretary Blinken held bilateral meetings with Allied counterparts to discuss the significance of NATO, and issues concerning the security of the Transatlantic community.
He also met with the Organization’s Secretary-General, Jens Stoltenberg, ahead of the session. The officials emphasized the importance of continued consultations on various topics, including arms control, the drafting of NATO’s new Strategic Concept, and regional security matters.
Good meeting with NATO Secretary General @JensStoltenberg at the NATO Foreign Ministerial in Riga. We discussed the importance of strengthening Transatlantic unity and working together with Allies. pic.twitter.com/GFmer1nqqf
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) November 30, 2021
Meetings with Latvian Officials
While in Riga, Secretary Blinken also held separate meetings with the Latvian dignitaries, including President Egils Levits, Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins, and Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics. The discussions aimed to reaffirm Washington’s strategic partnership with Riga.
In addition, Blinken exhibited the United States’ commitment to maintaining Baltic security, along with discussing the significance of NATO Alliance and the contribution of Three Seas Initiative towards regional integration.
The leaders also discussed ways to strengthen the US-Latvian partnership, particularly in the economic sector. Meanwhile, the US State Secretary commended Latvia for adeptly hosting the NATO Foreign Ministerial.
Significance of NATO Ministerial
Latvia is hosting the meeting of NATO Foreign Ministers for the first time ever. NATO’s choice of Riga as the Ministerial’s venue underscores the existing solidarity between the Organization and its Baltic Allies.
This is so because the Baltic Allies have common borders with Belarus and Russia, which are both facing challenging security conditions at present.
The two-day meeting aims to cover a wide range of topics, particularly the US-Latvian shared commitment towards NATO, increasing coordination on global challenges, and strengthening the Transatlantic security.
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