“No area of Baltic cooperation can be discussed without considering the context caused by the invasion of Russian military forces in Ukraine. Security and defence cooperation was an important priority on the Baltic Assembly agenda even before the war, but it has become fundamentally important in these new circumstances, also adding coordinated support for Ukraine,” said Jānis Vucāns, President of the Baltic Assembly (BA) and Head of its Latvian Delegation, on 28 October.
In 2022, the Baltic Assembly is serving as a bridge between Ukraine and the Baltic Sea region, Benelux, Nordic, and other countries, Jānis Vucāns said in his address to the attendees of the 41st Session of the BA at the Saeima building. “We are explaining the real situation, fighting disinformation, and trying to reveal the true face of the war started by Russia—unprovoked, cruel, and threatening to democracy worldwide,” said Jānis Vucāns, emphasising that understanding of the actual situation in our partner states is now fundamentally different from what is was at the beginning of the war.
Due to the new challenges, we are focusing on the topical issues of Baltic security and defence, including civil protection. The President of the BA stated that, while the war in Ukraine had added war scenarios to the field of civil protection, training our population on survival in specific situations was necessary regardless.
Jānis Vucāns also noted that it was important to achieve the readiness of the Baltic States to provide Ukrainian children and young people with education opportunities and integrate them into our society.
The President of the BA particularly highlighted the need to promote social resilience. “Media and information literacy, as well as psychological protection and strategic communication play a crucial role in boosting the social resilience of our society,” pointed out Jānis Vucāns, also highlighting strengthening cooperation among the public broadcasters.
Turning to energy cooperation, the President of the BA stated that the Baltic region had many opportunities that should be used. “It is no longer enough to maintain our current energy connections—the Baltic States must find ways to produce more energy and produce it together, using the current and new energy projects. The Baltic States should develop a system where various energy sources interact within one united and coordinated system,” pointed out Jānis Vucāns.
Information about the BA:
Latvia assumed the presidency of the Baltic Assembly On 1 January 2022.
The Baltic Assembly is an inter-parliamentary cooperation organisation of Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania established on 8 November 1991. The Baltic Assembly consists of national delegations – 12 to 16 members from each country’s parliament. The Baltic Assembly is a coordinating and consultative organisation. It is a coordinating and consultative organisation which has a right to express its opinion to the national parliaments and governments of the Baltic States, as well as the Baltic Council of Ministers, in the form of resolutions, decisions, declarations and recommendations; it also has a right to request the above-mentioned bodies to provide information on cross-border issues that are high on the Baltic Assembly’s agenda.
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Saeima Press Service