RIGA, Nov 22 (LETA) - A joint Baltic approach and action needed to boost competitiveness of border regions, Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silina (New Unity) said Friday at a news conference following a meeting of the Baltic Prime Ministers' Council in Vilnius, Lithuania.

Silina said that during the meeting of the Baltic prime ministers she presented priorities of the 2025 Latvian Presidency of the Baltic Council of Ministers. They include regional security and resilience, support to Ukraine, as well as enhancing regional connectivity, boosting energy security and investment attraction, the prime minister said.

On the issue of regional security and resilience, Silina underlined the need for a united Baltic approach and action to promote the competitiveness of the border regions. "Concern for the well-being and security of the people living in our border area is crucial to deal with the Iron Curtain challenges posed by Russia and Belarus," the Latvian premier said.

Silina reaffirmed Latvia's commitment to continued close Baltic cooperation, adding that she is looking forward to the next meeting of the Baltic Council of Ministers in Riga next year.

The prime minister described Friday's meeting with the Estonian and Lithuanian colleagues as proactive. The discussions, she said, focused on regional infrastructure projects, support to Ukraine and ensuring regional security.

The Baltic countries agreed to take concrete steps to improve their cooperation on the Rail Baltica project. As Silina pointed out, the main objective of the next steps will be to identify the main problems, find coherent solutions and reach a common position in negotiations with the European Union (EU) institutions, including in the context of the next EU multiannual budget.

Silina's spokeswoman Elina Lidere told LETA that Rail Baltica is a major competitiveness and military mobility project for the Baltic countries, and completing it has proved challenging not only for Latvia, but also for Lithuania and Estonia.

"It is a massive, multi-year project and the earlier cost estimates no longer match the infrastructure construction costs in any of the countries today. I called for a high-level transnational coordination format to be set up to deal with common issues on a day-to-day basis," says Silina, adding that a common strategy and coordinated action are needed to attract the necessary additional funding.

Silina also informed that the Baltic prime ministers discussed progress on the Baltic countries' planned disconnection from the Russian power grids. The prime minister confirmed the Baltic countries' readiness to disconnect from the BRELL network. "This is a necessary step and one that is well accepted in our society," the prime minister said, adding that desynchronization from BRELL is necessary to make the Baltic states more independent from Russia.

During the meeting the Baltic prime ministers exchanged views on how best to support Ukraine. They also discussed the need for the Baltics to support Ukraine, emphasizing joint work on EU sanctions against Russia and Belarus, as well as ways to tackle sanctions circumvention. Support for Ukraine on its path towards EU membership was also discussed, Lidere said.

On regional security, the Baltic leaders assessed the countries' cooperation so far. "It is important that we continue to coordinate our actions and responses to hybrid threats," the Latvian prime minister said.

The Baltic leaders also discussed how to strengthen internal and external border security in the Baltic Sea region, the EU and NATO. In parallel, they discussed investments to improve military and resilience capabilities.

As reported, a meeting of the Baltic Prime Ministers' Council took place in Vilnius, Lithuania, on Friday. According to Lidere, this meeting concludes the Lithuanian Presidency of the Baltic Council of Ministers in 2024. Latvia will be presiding over the Baltic Council of Ministers in 2025.

The Baltic Council of Ministers, established on June 13, 1994, is an institution for governmental co-operation between Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. The Baltic Council of Ministers is tasked with ensuring the continuity of co-operation at the executive level of the states.