Latvia not in favor of a European OHQ
(B2) The Latvian Defense Minister, Artis Pabriks, repeated it before the meeting of the 27 Defense Ministers, he is not really in favor of the establishment of a European headquarters, or more precisely of an operational command center for EU military missions.
« We are making an effort to reduce commands at national and NATO level; there is no reason to create a new command at EU level, especially if it requires a significant financial commitment he told our colleagues in Diena before leaving for Brussels. On the other hand, he shows more enthusiasm for the idea of strengthening European capacities and in particular developing regional cooperation.
Latvia has thus undertaken a rapprochement with Austria. The Minister of Defense notably expressed his interest in being able to recover equipment which would no longer be used by the Austrians, within the framework of the reorganization of their armed forces (professionalization), particularly in terms of armament and equipment of the 'infantry. He also made an offer of cooperation in training, such as the diving training school or the home-made explosives (IED) training center.
(Nicolas Gros-Verheyde)
