NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg (R) and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken attend a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Riga, Latvia, on Nov. 30, 2021. Riga hosted a meeting of the foreign affairs ministers of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) member states on Tuesday. (Photo by Edijs Palens/Xinhua)
RIGA, Nov. 30 (Xinhua) -- The capital of Latvia hosted a meeting of the foreign affairs ministers of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) member states on Tuesday.
Participants in the two-day event discussed cooperation between NATO and the European Union (EU) as well as the military alliance's new Strategic Concept, the Latvian Foreign Ministry said.
"Work on NATO's Strategic Concept is one of the main tasks ahead of the upcoming [NATO] summit in Madrid," Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics said, adding that the new concept must retain defense capabilities as the alliance's main objective and transatlantic unity as an essential precondition for the ability to successfully tackle the emerging geopolitical challenges.
The minister noted that over the 15 years since Riga hosted a NATO summit in 2006, the global security environment has changed significantly, with threats affecting not only NATO member states but the whole law-based global order.
Addressing the ministers during the open part of the meeting, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the meeting would focus on Russia's military activity along Ukraine's border and the developments at Belarus' borders with NATO member states Latvia, Lithuania and Poland. Enditem
Attendees pose for an official photo during a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Riga, Latvia, on Nov. 30, 2021. Riga hosted a meeting of the foreign affairs ministers of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) member states on Tuesday. (Photo by Edijs Palens/Xinhua)
Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics addresses the media before a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Riga, Latvia, on Nov. 30, 2021. Riga hosted a meeting of the foreign affairs ministers of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) member states on Tuesday. (Photo by Edijs Palens/Xinhua)
