The Italian Parliament has decided to expand the NATO battle group in Latvia and will send another 120 soldiers this year, the Press Department of the Latvian Ministry of Defense informed.
The Italian Parliament has decided to expand the NATO battle group in Latvia and will send another 120 soldiers this year, the Press Department of the Latvian Ministry of Defense informed.
With the decision of the Italian Parliament, approximately 370 Italian soldiers will perform their duties in the NATO Extended Presence Battlegroup in Latvia.
Minister of Defense Inara Mūrniec (NA) was informed about the increase of the Italian contingent by Italian Minister of Defense Guido Croceto.
Mūrniece assures that Latvia is ready to invest additional funds in order, as a host country, to ensure the best conditions and opportunities for training interoperability and combat capabilities for allied soldiers in Latvia.
Latvia and Italy are linked by close cooperation in NATO and participation in international missions, and Mūrniece highly appreciates Italy’s contribution to the security of Latvia and the entire Baltic region. The presence of allied forces in the region confirms the implementation of the alliance’s common security principles in practice.
Italy is one of the members of the Canada-led NATO Extended Presence Battle Group.
The group currently consists of more than 1,700 soldiers from 11 countries – Albania, Czech Republic, Italy, Iceland, Canada, Montenegro, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and North Macedonia. To participate in the battle group, Italy has sent a mechanized infantry company with armored vehicles to Latvia.
Italy also regularly participates in NATO’s Baltic airspace patrol mission, a permanent peacetime mission to ensure the integrity of the alliance’s sovereign airspace.
It has already been reported that on July 10 Italian Defense Minister Croceto arrived in Latvia on a working visit. Mūrniece discussed with him the bilateral cooperation between the two countries, Italy’s participation in NATO’s Extended Presence Battlegroup and its contribution to strengthening regional security, as well as issues related to the NATO summit in Vilnius.
Canada has also already announced that it will double the number of soldiers stationed in Latvia.
