Three cooperation documents were signed at the Latvia–Lithuania Defence and Security Business Forum in Vilnius, covering innovation and export promotion, defence industry development, and the resilience of critical energy infrastructure. Together, they establish a comprehensive framework for cooperation that will support the development of joint projects, strengthen the competitiveness of businesses, promote technological development, and enhance the resilience of the Baltic region in the face of today’s security challenges.
In recent years, Lithuania has purposefully developed its defence and high-technology ecosystem, while Latvia has seen rapid growth in companies specialising in unmanned systems, photonics, artificial intelligence, electronics solutions, energy technologies, and other high value-added sectors. The cooperation documents signed today create broader opportunities for companies in both countries to jointly develop new products, implement research and development projects, attract investment, and strengthen their competitiveness in European and global markets.
During the forum, President of Latvia Edgars Rinkēvičs emphasised: “Latvia and Lithuania are close partners, friends and allies. Our most pressing challenge is the security of our countries. It is important that we turn our investments in defence into economic opportunities. We are spending enormous sums on defence. Money has little value unless industrial capacity is mobilised at the local, regional and global levels. Strengthening our own industries contributes to NATO’s collective defence capabilities. Projects under the European Defence Fund demonstrate that Latvian and Lithuanian companies can work effectively alongside each other. Last year, we proved that together we can secure our energy independence. In 2025, we disconnected from the Russian and Belarusian electricity grid and joined the European network. We continue to invest in key regional assets that strengthen our energy security—from the Inčukalns Underground Gas Storage Facility to the Klaipėda Liquefied Natural Gas Terminal.”
The Lithuanian Defence and Security Industry Association and the Federation of Security and Defence Industries of Latvia (FSDI Latvia) agreed to strengthen cooperation in the fields of defence, security and advanced technologies by promoting innovation, developing industrial capabilities, exchanging information, and encouraging companies to participate in joint projects at the European Union and NATO levels.
“The cooperation documents signed today demonstrate that the partnership between Latvia and Lithuania is becoming increasingly practical and purposeful. We are strengthening not only economic cooperation but also our ability to jointly create innovation, develop the defence industry and enhance the resilience of critical infrastructure. This creates new opportunities for our companies to become part of international supply chains, develop new products and compete successfully in European and global markets. The competitiveness of the Baltic States is determined not by competition among ourselves, but by our ability to cooperate and jointly create high value-added solutions,” emphasised Minister of Economics Viktors Valainis.
At the same time, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Investment and Development Agency of Latvia (LIAA) and the Lithuanian Innovation Agency, providing for closer cooperation in innovation, research and development, export promotion, and business internationalisation. The memorandum will foster partnerships between companies, research organisations and other innovation ecosystem stakeholders, with particular attention to information and communication technologies, dual-use technologies, resource efficiency and sustainable energy.
