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At the meeting with the media, the Latvian Chief of Defence, Lieutenant General Raimonds Graube, and General Patrick de Rousiers, the Chairman of the EU Military Committee, underlined that the EU-NATO closer cooperation and the challenges posed by hybrid war, terrorism and illegal migration were discussed during the EU Military Committee Away Days Meeting in Riga.

“The Latvian Presidency of the Council of the EU takes place during a very complicated, new security situation. The EU Military Committee meeting in Latvia is an opportunity to discuss the contemporary challenges from a military point of view in order to prepare political decisions that will be taken in May during the meeting of the EU Chiefs of Defence and in June during the European Council,” stressed Lieutenant General Graube.

“We have many challenges in the east, south-east and south, therefore it is important that European defence is based on mutual solidarity of the EU Member States and readiness to respond to new challenges. Latvian soldiers deployed in Central Africa, Mali and Gulf of Aden demonstrate this solidarity and help to prevent further instability in these regions,” said General de Rousiers.

The Chairman of the EU Military Committee stressed that the crisis in Ukraine has deepened the EU-NATO cooperation, for example, regarding information exchange. “NATO paid more attention to visible assurance, particularly on the eastern boarders of the Alliance. In turn, the EU provided civil assistance and expertise in Ukraine, which is a long-term contribution to the EU-Ukraine future cooperation,” General de Rousiers explained.

The EU military representatives also discussed hybrid warfare not only in the context of Russian aggression in Ukraine yesterday, but also how terrorist organisations like ISIL use the elements of the hybrid warfare to achieve their goals.

General de Rousiers stressed that today hybrid war is a reality and both armed forces and governments must respond to it. The impact of the hybrid warfare is visible not only in Ukraine, but also in many European countries, where young people are leaving their countries to join the insurgents, for example, in Iraq or Syria, or accede to terrorist groups. “These young people are easy to reach in social media, and during the hybrid warfare it is challenging to balance the freedom of press and expression with threats posed by propaganda,” pointed out General de Rousiers.

“Hybrid war does not have a clear beginning and ending, and its elements used by Russia and other countries and interest groups are not lethal weapons, however they are equally dangerous,” stressed Lieutenant General Graube.

On 4-5 May, the Away Days Meeting of the EU Military Committee took place to discuss increasing the effectiveness and visibility of the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP), the development of military capabilities and the facilitation of the competitiveness of the European defence industry.

EU Military Committee (EUMC) Away Dayeu2015.lv

Contact

ANETE GNĒZE

Senior Desk Officer of the Media Relations Section of the Military Public Affairs Department of the Ministry of Defence
+371 67335093
+371 26474087
anete.gneze@mod.gov.lv