Ambassadors from Baltic nations Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia visit St. John's, Goose Bay airbase
(From left) Latvian ambassador Kaspars Ozoliņš, Lithuanian ambassador Darius Skusevičius and Estonian ambassador Margus Rava visited Happy Valley-Goose Bay and St. John's. - Sanuda Ranawake/The Telegram
The ambassadors from Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania are in Newfoundland and Labrador this week.
The trio toured Labrador – which involved a visit to 5 Wing Goose Bay – followed by a trip to St. John’s, which included an engagement at Memorial University.
Kaspars Ozoliņš, the Latvian Ambassador to Canada, says a major reason for the trip is to make their support and presence known, while learning about the province. He says it’s easy to forget the size of Canada compared with Baltic countries.
“Canada is a very big country, and it takes time to travel places," Ozoliņš said. "Travel to provinces is one the ways to learn about the country. We as ambassadors come for a certain term. We are created not for Ottawa, we are created for Canada. We are eager to go to provinces and visit there.”
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The ambassadors visited Labrador based on a recommendation by MP Yvonne Jones.
“We spent almost a day in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, half a day for a tour with military commanders. We also met with the Labrador North Chamber of Commerce's Julian Griffin, and the mayor of Happy Valley-Goose Bay, George Andrews,” said Estonian ambassador Margus Rava.
Ozoliņš says Labrador is of strategic importance. With the war in Ukraine and the threat of Russia at Latvia's border, 5 Wing Goose Bay — as an onward military base to Europe — made sense for a visit, Ozoliņš said.
“Canada has troops in Latvia. Eight NATO countries have troops on the eastern flank. Canada also has air patrol in Romania. Goose Bay is the most European focused town in Canada. At the mayor’s office there was flag of European countries,” says Ozoliņš.
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He says with the Canadian government’s commitment to provide four Griffon helicopters to support Canadian forces in Latvia, it’s important to ensure NATO members support each other.
“We all have to work together to continue supporting Ukraine. Canadian troops are sent to Latvia. But from NATO, there’s 12 nations,” Ozoliņš says.
“It’s not bilateral. Different countries are sending fighter jets to protect our skies. It’s a NATO operation, it’s not a bilateral operation,” added Lithuania ambassador Darius Skusevičius.
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Skusevičius says NATO members have an obligation to do their part in military support, and their goal was to establish connections with the military base in Goose Bay.
“NATO is built on national commitments on who has what. Every country has an obligation to contribute to some common good, common good is to safety. If Canada sends flights, it’ll be beneficial to Canada as well. Through those missions you learn to work with other countries,” says Skusevičius.
The ambassadors are so far happy with Canada’s support in Ukraine. They want to see a future where countries work together to ensure safety in Europe.
“We really appreciate the diverse fabric of the Canadian society. We really appreciate the work (done for) Ukraine. All of us found at least one Canadian of our origin. Here you have the political government, political relations. Stay together, work together, send the right message to the aggressor,” says Skusevičius.
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Rava says while military objectives were at the forefront, that wasn’t the only issue. He says among many things, housing and other matters were also discussed. Rava says this province has a lot to learn from Baltic nations.
“With military it’s easier because they understand NATO doctrines and so on. In general, the purpose of the visit was to show ourselves, to raise our flags. The perception, naturally, when you think about Europe, you think about big countries. Our perception is to say, 'Hello world,'” says Rava.
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The ambassadors also see cyber attacks as a threat. Estonia, one of the most heavily digitized countries in the world, has a lot to offer, says the ambassador. This comes after the province has suffered multiple cyber attacks over the past few years, including on Eastern Health, and Memorial University’s Grenfell Campus.
“Everyone understands the threats coming from unfriendly countries can be not necessarily conventional. What we have seen, foreign interference, cyber-attacks, espionage, with new technologies, disruption into critical infrastructure, should bring us closer to addressing those threats,” Rava says.
“For decades Canada was a safe heaven. Now we even see that being geographically safe, similar trends happening here.”
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He says while there are no solid plans for a consulate in the province, it’s a possibility.
“No (one of the three) countries have diplomatic representations outside Ottawa. We have seven honorary consulates. I cannot rule out there won’t be one,” says Rava.
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Sanuda Ranawake is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter covering Indigenous and rural issues.
Sanuda Ranawake, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Telegram
