Baltic States – CIS, Belarus, Cooperation, Latvia, Security

The defense cooperation agreement, which will be signed during Ravkov's visit to Riga, provides for cooperation between Latvia and Belarus in areas like international security and defense policies, airspace surveillance, arms control, activities planned in the framework of NATO's Partnership for Peace program, military medicine, as well as environmental protection, cultural and sports activities in the armed forces.

The defense ministers of the two countries will lay flowers at the memorial to Colonel Oskars Kalpaks, Latvia's first army commander, and later discuss regional security in bilateral talks. Belarus' defense minister is also scheduled to visit the Instructor School of the National Armed Forces in Cesis.

So far, Latvia and Belarus have had successful cooperation in arms control. In 2004 the two neighbor countries concluded an agreement on additional confidence and security building measures in arms control. Based on this agreement, the two countries organize additional visits of arms inspectors, experts' meetings, exchange of military information and observers visits to military training exercises.

Ravkov's visit to Latvia will last till December 7.