Today, on 4 April, President Valdis Zatlers participated in the opening of the NATO-Ukraine Council at the NATO Summit of Heads of State and Government in Bucharest, and in the working session that followed, as well as in the opening of NATO-Russia Council and its working session. 

The working session of the NATO-Ukraine Council was devoted to the discussion of future cooperation between Ukraine and NATO and the adoption of a statement by the NATO-Ukraine commission. During the session, President Zatlers congratulated the President of Ukraine on the communiqué adopted by NATO countries and their heads of government yesterday, which clearly expressed support for Ukraine's accession to NATO. Latvia's President also affirmed our readiness to offer our assistance and share our experience in the reform process. Dr. Zatlers emphasized that Latvia, in view of its experience on the road to NATO, will remain a steadfast and trustworthy partner of Ukraine on its way to membership in the transatlantic alliance.

At the NATO-Russia working session, cooperation between NATO and Russia – the main challenges and possibilities for future cooperation – formed the topics of discussion. One area of cooperation is NATO-Russian collaboration in NATO operations in the context of Afghanistan.

Addressing the session, the President of Latvia spoke of the necessity of changing the rhetoric of political dialogue. "The demons of the Cold War should no longer be pursued. Their time has ended," the President said. As an example, President Zatlers cited the border between the Republic of Latvia and the Russian Federation, now guarded primarily by technical means. This border bears no comparison even to the Polish-USSR border, when both the Soviet Union and Poland were members of the Warsaw Pact. NATO and Russia must now seek constructive collaboration in practical matters on which their views coincide, such as with regard to NATO operations in Afghanistan. The President repeatedly pointed out the need for an awareness of national interests and their defence through the pursuit of dialogue both at a bilateral level between states and in the context of international structures.

President's Chancery