17 July 2007
The newly appointed President of Latvia, Valdis Zatlers, met Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, at NATO Headquarters on 17 July. They discussed Latvia’s participation in NATO operations and missions, and other important security issues.
Speaking to the press afterwards, the Secretary General praised Latvia as a “staunch Ally”. The country’s active support for operations in Afghanistan and Kosovo and participation in NATO’s Training Mission in Iraq demonstrate that Latvia is not just a “consumer of security but also an exporter of security,” he said.
Apart from the situation in Afghanistan and Kosovo, a key topic of discussion was Russia’s announcement of a "suspension" of its participation in the Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) Treaty. However, both the President and the Secretary General underlined that the decision represented no threat to the security of Latvia or other Allies.
