Country Profile:
Latvia
Summary
In 1991, the Republic of Latvia gained its independence from the Soviet Union after more than 50 years of occupation. The Latvian President would declare in 1993 that NATO membership would act as a guarantor of Baltic security vis-à-vis Russia. The SSR process began immediately after the withdrawal of the Soviet Red Army. At its outset the process faced significant resource gaps. The Latvian security sector is said to have consisted of only “26 sunken submarines and ships leaking acid, oil and phosphorous” at the time of independence (NATO Parliamentary Assembly, 1998).
The desire to join NATO and the EU guided the SSR process. Defence reform became a priority of the process as it was a condition for NATO membership, and also played a major part in meeting EU integration criteria. In 2004, Latvia would join NATO and the EU after 66.1 percent of the Latvian population voted in favour of the moves in a national referendum.
