On Monday, 23 January, the Minister for the Interior, Māris Kučinskis, met with the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of France to the Republic of Latvia, Aurélie Royet-Gounin, in Riga.
During the meeting, the two countries discussed security cooperation.
The Minister pointed out that the responsible services of Latvia and France cooperate in combating crimes such as robbery, fraud, money laundering, drug trafficking, human trafficking, organized crime and cybercrime. Special mention was made of the cooperation between the Latvian State Police and the French Gendarmerie in the fight against cybercrime.
M.Kučinskis briefed the Ambassador on the priorities of the Ministry for the Interior in the context of the 2023 State Budget, highlighting the construction of infrastructure on the Latvia-Belarus border, thus strengthening the security of both Latvia and the whole of Europe. It was stressed that the state of emergency on the Latvian-Belarusian border could not be lifted as long as the regime of Alexander Lukashenko existed in this neighbouring country.
It should also be borne in mind that Belarus is using these migrants as a weapon of hybrid war against our country. Moreover, the question of maintaining the state of emergency must be coordinated with our neighbour Lithuania. A situation where one country has a state of emergency at the border and the other does not would create a weak link that we cannot afford,” said M.Kučinskis.
Discussions also covered issues related to the implementation of the civil protection system in Latvia.
The State Border Guard is also actively cooperating with its French counterparts. French Border Police and Gendarmerie officials regularly visit Latvia in the framework of events organized by the Frontex Agency.
Prepared by:
Andrejs Vaivars
Advisor to the Minister for the Interior
Phone: +371 67829685
E-mail: andrejs.vaivars@iem.gov.lv