On Wednesday 12 May, the President of Latvia, His Excellency Egils Levits, addressed the NATO Defense College and delivered a Lecture of Opportunity entitled “The Lessons of History and NATO 2030” for the Course Members of SC 138.
H.E. President of Latvia was welcomed by the NDC Commandant, LGEN Olivier Rittimann.
Dr. Stephen J. Mariano, the NDC Dean, moderated the session. LGEN Commandant delivered the welcome address and expressed gratitude for the President’s presence and appreciation of the special occasion. H.E. Egils Levits’ lecture began with reference to the importance of the North Atlantic Treaty, and Allies’ determination “to safeguard the freedom, common heritage and civilization of their peoples, founded on the principles of democracy, individual liberty and the rule of law.”
The Latvian President also raised the topic of collective defence, and more specifically the Enhanced Forward Presence, which “improves the security of Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia with a level of deterrence and defence we alone could not provide. While the eFP Battlegroups do not present any threat to Russia, they clearly demonstrate NATO’s determination to defend every one of our Alliance’s members. eFP also proves that we understand that a threat to any one Ally is a threat to us all. ” H.E. Egils Levits expressed appreciation of others’ commitment to border protection: “we are very grateful to Canada and our other Allies who have shown us such unwavering solidarity. We welcome Secretary General Stoltenberg’s call for increased funding for deterrence and defence activities. ” After providing an overview of Latvia’s domestic environment and the overall international situation, H.E. Egils Levits concluded his speech with NATO 2030, calling on the importance of resilience and renewed political commitment, which he deems vital through increased consultations between Allies, especially at the level of Interior Ministers and National Security Advisers. “Our aim is that one day in the future, we will have a relationship with a free, democratic and predictable Russia which is based on mutual respect.”
NDC Public Affairs Office
(Prepared by Mr Jose Moron Marchena, ESP C)
Collège de Défense de l'OTAN