Latvia will improve conditions for NATO aircraft patrolling Baltic airspace
On the 31st of May, the Latvian government will sign an international treaty which aims to improve the NATO mission that patrols the Baltic airspace. This was reported by the Delfi news portal.
The current patrol procedure is based on a 2012 agreement between the US Air Force and the civil aviation agencies of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia.
In order to strengthen NATO’s presence in the Baltic states, and to ensure its effectiveness, the 2012 agreement will be changed to a draft treaty between NATO, the Estonian Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications of Estonia, the Latvian government and the Lithuanian government.
The draft agreement discusses the coordination of activities of civil and military departments to improve NATO’s mission in the Baltic airspace.
The agreement also details the standardized technical procedures required, as well the responsibilities of the parties involved. In addition, it states that the NATO mission has the highest priority in using the Baltic air space, with the exception of emergency aircraft.
Furthermore, the draft defines the actions and procedures to implement in case of emergencies and special situations.