Latvian Ministry of the Interior State Secretary Dmitrij Trofimov participated in a hybrid security meeting in Flensburg, Germany, on August 28. According to the ministry, at this meeting, the interior ministers of the Baltic Sea region countries agreed to establish a new security working group for operational coordination.
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At the meeting, held at the Mürwik Naval Academy, officials discussed urgent security policy issues related to the common future of the Baltic Sea region. The discussions focused mainly on hybrid attacks carried out by foreign actors aimed at threatening regional security, destabilizing democracy, and weakening national economies.
As noted at the meeting by Germany’s Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt, there has recently been a sharp increase in drone and cyberattacks, espionage, disinformation, covert operations, and deliberate arson of critical infrastructure, as well as the use of so-called one-time agents.
Officials agreed that recent events clearly indicate an increase in the complexity and intensity of such attacks, so the region must be prepared for further escalation of hybrid threats.
The common goal of the countries is to be able to investigate incidents much faster, implement deterrence policies, and defend against hybrid threats, thus transforming the Baltic Sea region from a “collective risk zone” into a “collective defense zone.”
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At the end of the meeting, the countries agreed to establish a hybrid security rapid response working group. It will consist of state secretaries from the interior ministries of the Baltic Sea region countries. The working group’s goal will be to ensure operational communication channels and jointly prepare an assessment of hybrid threats.
The meeting also concluded that during the 2028–2034 European Union (EU) multiannual financial framework period, greater attention should be paid to drone defense technologies as well as strengthening regional operational cooperation.
Representatives from Latvia, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Lithuania, Poland, Sweden, Norway, as well as Ireland, which currently holds the EU Council presidency, participated in the meeting.
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