French President Emmanuel Macron agreed to begin talks on Latvia joining the French nuclear deterrence initiative. Paris is also ready to strengthen its military presence in Latvia, particularly in the area of air defense, Reuters reports, writes UNN.
Details
I have been in active contact with the President of France regarding closer cooperation between Latvia and France in the field of security and defense. President Macron agreed to begin talks with Latvia on our country joining the French nuclear deterrence initiative
According to him, Macron also expressed readiness to strengthen the French military presence in Latvia, particularly in the area of air defense.
France is expanding cooperation in the field of nuclear deterrence
Latvia’s Foreign Ministry and Ministry of Defense are to prepare the country’s position, a possible model of cooperation, and a schedule for further negotiations.
The initiative envisages deepening cooperation among European allies around France’s nuclear deterrent forces. Control over the nuclear arsenal, however, remains with France.
Earlier, other Northern and Eastern European countries, including Finland and Estonia, joined the cooperation under the initiative or began relevant talks.