Press release, 26 October 2018
The 37th Session of the Baltic Assembly was opened at the Seimas. “The main aim of the Session is to strike a balance between the Baltic parliamentary and governmental cooperation in 2018,” said Valerijus Simulik, President of the Baltic Assembly, when opening the event.
“Today, the Baltic Assembly and the Baltic Council of Ministers work hand in hand for the construction of railways and roads, joint procurement of medicine, joint protection of our borders, coordination of our countries’ positions on the European Union’s agenda, building of a common innovation and industrial system, joint promotion of our shared interests in distant markets, and synchronisation of our electricity networks with the European continental networks,” said Mr Simulik when listing the common activities.
While speaking at the opening of the Session, Viktoras Pranckietis, Speaker of the Seimas, stressed that this format of cross-border cooperation ensured mediation among the institutions of the three countries, which facilitated communication and useful solutions. Last year, 80 % of the recommendations adopted by the Baltic Assembly were implemented. The Speaker of the Seimas highlighted that the current political realities were forcing us to think about new ambitious goals.
“We need to give a timely, unanimous and resolute response to cyber, hybrid and nuclear threats. Harmonisation of common policies, establishment of new partnerships, representation of shared interests, experience sharing, and coordination between our national parliaments and governments are among the most important tasks of the Baltic Assembly,” said Mr Pranckietis.
Next year, Latvia will take over the Presidency of the Baltic Assembly. When addressing the members of the Baltic Assembly, Ināra Mūrniece, Speaker of the Saeima, underlined that security would remain a key priority. “The Kremlin is strengthening its capabilities in our region. This situation makes it important for us to work together. I am confident that we will continue to pursue common goals through joint military procurement. Recently, adopted decisions have urged us to increase our military mobility. Now, steps need to be taken to help achieve this. A comprehensive approach to security and defence is the first and foremost priority of the Latvian Presidency,” she said.
This view was also shared by Eiki Nestor, President of the Riigikogu of the Republic of Estonia, who said that our geographical situation and history allowed us to understand each other almost without words. “Today security is once again on our agenda. The reason for this is not our liking of this topic or our continuous fear of our eastern neighbours. The reason is our appreciation of freedom and peace as great values. The world today is unsafe and unpredictable, and our small countries do not feel safe as well,” said Mr Nestor.
The 37th Session of the Baltic Assembly and the Baltic Council were set to discuss the Baltic States’ regional security strategy, regional gas and electricity market, and alcohol policy, as well as the development of the Rail Baltica project and activities of the Baltic Culture Fund.
The Baltic Assembly was established in Tallinn on 8 November 1991 as an international organisation for the cooperation among the Lithuanian, Estonian and Latvian parliaments.