International cooperation

An essential part of the work of the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Latvia is the development of international cooperation in the field of defence. Cooperation is carried out in both bilateral and multilateral cooperation formats, mainly with countries sharing similar values, with the aim of strengthening Latvia's defence and promoting international security.

Since 2004, Latvia has been a member of the European Union (EU) and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO). Latvia supports NATO missions and operations with its National Armed Forces, and representatives of the armed forces of NATO allies are present in Latvia to strengthen Latvia's defence and deter military incursions against Latvia. There are various NATO collective defence structures in Latvia, the most important of which are the NATO Multinational Battle Group Latvia and the Multinational Division Headquarters North. These formats are used for joint exercises, planning and exchanges of experience.

The presence of Allied forces in Latvia is not a given. Latvia needs to continuously raise the profile of the threat to the Baltic States among NATO Allies and to continuously work to further improve NATO's overall readiness to deter and defeat invading forces. A strong defence is the best guarantee against war. 

Cooperation with other countries also contributes to the development of the National Armed Forces. Regular military exercises are held in the country, improving the military skills of both Latvian and allied forces and their ability to work together to fulfil military tasks, despite differences in languages, equipment and training.

International defence cooperation also takes the form of joint regional military integration projects, cooperation in joint procurement or defence industrial development. The common purpose of all these efforts is to ensure that Latvia and the Baltic States as a whole can exist and develop in security.