NATO to Boost Presence in Latvia Amid 'Challenging Security Environment'

NATO intends to further increase its presence in the Eastern part of the bloc, its chief Jens Stoltenberg said.

BRUSSELS (Sputnik) — NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Thursday that the bloc was going to discuss sending more international troops to the Baltic region, specifically to Latvia, at the July summit.

"We decided to further increase our presence in the eastern part of the Alliance, including in the Baltic region… It’s going to be a multinational presence, meaning forces from different NATO Allied countries, sending a very clear signal that an attack on one ally will be met by forces from the whole Alliance, that we will stand together. And this is a strong an important signal, not least for Latvia and the other Baltic countries," Stoltenberg said.

The military bloc is meeting in Warsaw in July, where the 28 member states will lay down a roadmap for the military buildup in the east, including the exact numbers of troops to be deployed there amid what Stoltenberg said was a challenging regional security situation.

He added, however, that the NATO command saw "no imminent threat to the Baltic states."

Over the past year, NATO has been increasing military exercises near Russia’s border while Washington has increased funding for the NATO Reassurance Initiative to support deploying up to 5,000 troops in Eastern Europe.

Moscow has repeatedly warned that NATO's amassing of troops and equipment on Russian borders is provocative, contrary to previously reached agreements and can destabilize the region.