MADRID 10 Oct. () –
The Parliament of Latvia approved this Thursday the recruitment, in the event of general mobilization, of foreign citizens with dual nationality in response to the security crisis in the region as a result of the war in Ukraine.
The Latvian Ministry of Defense has noted that while until now the law did not allow foreigners to be recruited, “Ukraine’s experience shows that citizens of other countries can fight effectively in the Armed Forces.”
In this Thursday’s vote in Saeima, 74 deputies, out of a total of 100, voted in favor of the new law, with ten against and eight abstentions, reports the Baltic news portal Delfi.
In case of general and partial mobilization, citizens of the member states of the European Union, the European Free Trade Association, NATO, as well as Australia, Brazil, New Zealand and Ukraine, can volunteer to serve in the Latvian Armed Forces.
However, those who intend to enlist cannot be employees of another security or intelligence service, nor have served in the Soviet or Latvian Army when it was one of the socialist republics. “The admission of a foreigner must be carried out in accordance with national interests,” he emphasizes.
Candidates must know the Latvian language, or at least one of the NATO official languages, English or French, as well as complete the procedures to qualify for dual nationality before April 2025.
The reform that was voted on this Thursday also includes better working conditions for soldiers, even eliminating the mandatory five-year contract after completing military training in order to offer greater flexibility, according to the needs of the Armed Forces.
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