Latvia’s President Addresses New Global Power Blocs

(MENAFN) Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics has issued a stark alert that a developing international system shaped by spheres of influence and major power rivalry is "dangerous" for the Baltic nations and neighboring states.

In an interview with a news agency during the Munich Security Conference on Sunday, Rinkevics acknowledged the shift in global dynamics. "I agree that there is a new emerging order. Yes, I agree that there is a kind of desire to divide the world into spheres of influence," he said, pointing to mounting indications that the global balance is being reorganized.

He emphasized that the post-Cold War phase and the rules-based international framework created after World War II are "gone," portraying the present era as one marked by "great power politics." According to Rinkevics, this environment is largely steered by influential actors such as China, the United States, and, debatably, Russia, along with the European Union when it operates in unity.

The Latvian leader underscored that a world structured around dominant powers and exclusive zones of control would be dangerous for the Baltic countries and other regional states. "It's dangerous for our existence, and we need to take this very, very seriously," he stressed.

“And then even great powers will need order, some kind of rules that we all follow. And I think this is emerging. This is a dangerous situation,” he added, highlighting the urgent need for universally respected principles amid geopolitical shifts.

When questioned about contingency strategies should NATO falter, Rinkevics referred to multiple protective dimensions, including "national defense, regional defense, European defense, (and) transatlantic defense."

Despite the uncertainties, he conveyed confidence in transatlantic ties, noting that “there is a lot of rhetoric, but there is also a lot of practical cooperation with the United States and Canada going on.”

MENAFN16022026000045017167ID1110746567