Working visits by Minister of Defence François Bausch to Latvia and Lithuania

On 2 May, after laying flowers at the monument of Colonel Oskars Kalpaks, the hero of Latvian independence, at the Esplanade Park in Riga, François Bausch had a meeting with Artis Pabriks, Latvian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence.

On 3 May 2022, François Bausch visited the NATO Centre of Excellence, and then, he visited the Lielvărde Air Base, where he attended a presentation of the Latvian Air Force and demonstrations during a guided tour of the air base.

Since 2020, the Defence Directorate has been supporting Latvia in its efforts to protect the environment and clean up military sites in Latvia, including co-financing the clean-up of the Lielvărde base. In the afternoon, Minister Bausch visited the military base in Ădaži. Its construction was financed in 2017 by Luxembourg.

On 4 May 2022, the Luxembourg delegation attended the military parade in Saldus, which was held on the occasion of the Independence Restoration Day of the Republic of Latvia, in the presence of Latvian President Egils Levits and Defence Minister Artis Pabriks. Later this day, Minister Bausch visited the NATO eFP in Rukla where he met with Luxembourg soldiers stationing in Lithuania.

On 5 May he held bilateral discussions with Lithuanian Minister of Defence, Arvydas Anušauskas. They discussed, among others, NATO presence in the region and the upcoming NATO summit in Madrid.