Good morning.
Prime Minister Siliņa, it is an honour to join you tonight on my first visit to Latvia as Prime Minister.
When we first met in Rome in April, I commended you on Latvia’s extraordinary contributions to NATO and the international community, such as your upcoming membership to the United Nations Security Council.
Prime Minister, few nations understand as well as Latvia how precious – and precarious – freedom is.
In 1918, after more than a century of struggle against Russian imperial rule, Latvians declared independence.
That independence was stolen in 1940, when Stalin’s Soviet Union annexed the Baltics.
This began decades of occupation and cultural erasure.
The Nazis came. Then the Soviets returned.
For nearly 50 years, Latvia’s national flag was banned from display. Your institutions were dismantled, your language suppressed.
Yet the Latvian people and their spirit endured.
In 1991, as the Soviet Union crumbled, Latvians courageously reclaimed their independence.
‘The Barricades’ – when Latvians bravely rallied to defend key buildings like the TV tower and Parliament – was one of Latvia’s finest moments.
So when Putin tried to turn back history by seizing Crimea in 2014, or on that dark February day in 2022, when Russia’s army poured into Ukraine from the north, east, and south, it was not a ‘far-off foreign’ threat for you.
But the realisation of a threat that had been slowly, and steadily, building for years.
It is a threat that Canada, as your NATO partner, will always be committed to repel.
In 1991, Canada was the first G7 nation to recognise Latvia’s independence.
Now, as then, Canada is committed to fight for freedom against authoritarianism.
As in 1991, Canada is under no illusions about the importance of your fight.
And you should never doubt Canadians’ commitment to your cause. It is like our own.
In 2014, when Russia illegally annexed Crimea, Canada – under Prime Minister Stephen Harper – launched Operation UNIFIER, sending hundreds of Canadian Armed Forces personnel to Ukraine to train Ukrainian troops to fight Russian aggression.
And in April of that year, more than 100 members of the Canadian Armed Forces were deployed to Latvia – as part of Operation REASSURANCE.
Three years later, as Russia’s threats to the Baltics intensified, Canada stepped up to lead the NATO battle group at the Ādaži base outside Riga and added 450 more of our troops.
Then, as now, our clear message to Russia was that an attack on the Baltics was an attack on the NATO Alliance, and therefore an attack on Canada.
The battle group has grown to a major multinational brigade. Over 3,500 soldiers from 14 different nations serve here, deterring Russian aggression on NATO’s eastern flank, and fortifying our shared defence by air, land, and sea.
Over 2,000 of those brave women and men are Canadians.
This is Canada’s largest current military contribution to the Alliance.
And in the years since its inception, the need for Operation REASSURANCE has only increased.
While you have long understood the threat of Russian aggression, Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine shattered any previous assumptions that many others held of European post-Cold War security.
In Kyiv on Sunday, I recalled that when President Ronald Reagan led a peace effort with Russia, he adopted the slogan, “trust but verify.”
But Vladimir Putin is not Mikhail Gorbachev. He seeks darkness, not glasnost.
Putin is attempting to rebuild the Soviet empire.
Latvians know that we cannot “trust but verify” with Putin.
We must deter and fortify.
Deter Russia from thinking they can ever again threaten Europe’s freedom, by reinforcing the strength of the armed forces that have fought so valiantly and so long.
To that end, I am proud to announce that Canada will extend Operation REASSURANCE for another three years.
This renewal will increase the brigade’s capabilities in Latvia – reinforce our collective defence, strengthen cooperative security, and keep our NATO presence strong at a time of rapid global change.
Prime Minister, I want to thank you, your armed forces, and the people of Latvia for the hospitality and support you have shown our troops.
As Allies, we also have much work ahead.
As members of the Coalition of the Willing, we are working to secure peace and security in Ukraine.
We know that peace can only come through strength.
Today, that means tough sanctions on Russia and reinforcing the capabilities of the Ukrainian Armed Forces – combined with robust and credible security guarantees for Ukraine tomorrow.
This June, both of our nations committed to NATO’s new Defence Investment Pledge of investing 5% of our annual GDP by 2035.
For Canada, this will represent a quadrupling of defence expenditures in cash terms by the end of this decade.
We both recognise that our resilience depends not only on increasing our defence commitments, but on how we choose to invest them.
That requires true partnership.
That’s why this June, Canada and the European Union (EU) signed the new Security and Defence Partnership.
This will help us deliver on our NATO capability targets more effectively through Canada’s participation in SAFE – Security Action for Europe, an instrument of the EU’s Readiness 2030 plan.
‘The Barricades’ freed Latvia in 1991. Then Canada cheered you on and celebrated your success. More than three decades later, Latvians must once again rally to bravely defend your homeland, and now, NATO’s eastern flank.
Today, Canadians are honoured to be at your side, defending against renewed Russian aggression.
Our Canadian Armed Forces in Latvia are defending our shared values of peace, democracy, and security. And with today’s announcement, they will continue to do so.
At this hinge moment in history, Canada’s leadership will be measured not just by the strength of our values, but by the value of our strength.
Thank you.