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RIGA, Sept 16 (LETA) - Latvia will join the Finnish-led civilian shelter coalition, which will provide support to Ukraine and at the same time help strengthen Latvia's civil protection system, Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics told reporters at a press conference at Riga Castle on Monday after a meeting with Finnish President Alexander Stubb.

"This initiative is important not only for Ukraine, but also for us, as it will allow us to learn from the experience of Finland and Ukraine in the development of shelters," the Latvian president emphasized.

Rinkevics said that Latvia considers Finland a close friend and ally, and the two countries cooperate intensively in politics, economy, culture and sport. He noted that a large part of the talks was devoted to security issues.

"We are very positive about our cooperation with Finland since its accession to NATO in 2023. There are concrete results, such as guaranteeing security in the Baltic Sea," Rinkevics said, highlighting the effectiveness of the Baltic Sentry mission.

The Latvian president noted that Latvia supports NATO's steps to establish the Eastern Sentry mission and expressed the view that the patrol of Baltic airspace should be transformed into a full-fledged air defense mission.

Rinkevics noted that defense cooperation between Latvia and Finland is also expanding in the industrial sphere, including with the Patria armored vehicle production facility in Valmiera. He reminded that Latvia will allocate 4 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) to defense already this year, with a target of 5 percent of GDP in the coming years. The Latvian President stressed that "you do not fight with percentages, you fight with real capabilities", and that there is still much to be developed in this area.

The sides also discussed support for Ukraine, both at the political and practical level. Latvia will hand over 42 Patria armored vehicles to the Ukrainian Armed Forces this year and will join the Finnish-led civilian shelter coalition. Cooperation in air and missile defense systems, economy, education and culture was also discussed.

Rinkevics assessed that the cooperation between Latvia and Finland in the bilateral, Nordic-Baltic, European Union and NATO formats was excellent and based on both practical decisions and symbolic proof of friendship between the two countries.

He also expressed his full support for the active role of the President of Finland in supporting Ukraine internationally, in cooperation with the US, European and Ukrainian allies.

Prime Minister Evika Silina (New Unity) also met with the President of Finland today. After the meeting, she stressed that Latvia and Finland were close allies and cooperate closely in security, economic, cultural and other areas.

Silina and Stubb discussed the construction of defense infrastructure, cooperation in the military industry and the potential of artificial intelligence. "We agree on the importance of deterrence for the security of NATO and the Baltic Sea region. We also outlined the next strategic steps on how to better support Ukraine," the Prime Minister stressed.