HAMILTON, Canada

Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney announced the extension of the key NATO mission in Latvia until 2028, as he hailed long-standing bilateral ties with the country.

"I'm very proud, along with David McGuinty, our Canada's Minister of National Defence, to announce that Canada will extend Operation Reassurance, our leadership of that our commitment here on the ground will extend for three more years," Carney said at a news conference in Riga alongside his Latvian counterpart Evika Silina.

Saying that Canada will also "increase the brigade's capabilities here in Latvia," Carney also pledged to support Canada's "collective defence, strengthen our cooperative security, and keep the NATO presence strong."

"An attack against Latvia would be an attack against NATO and against Canada," he affirmed.

Carney and Silina emphasized their support for Ukraine against Russia, as the Latvian premier said they "agreed that it is important to send a strong signal to the aggressor (Russia) that we are standing with Ukraine, that we are going to stay by Ukraine."

"Both Canada and Latvia support the strengthening and deepening of the sanctions," she said, noting that they are working together to respond to security challenges in the region.

In a statement, the Canadian Prime Minister's office said the renewal of Operation Reassurance "will sustain the Brigade’s personnel and military capabilities in Latvia – reinforcing our collective defence, strengthening co-operative security, and keeping NATO presence strong on the Eastern Flank."

"As Framework Nation, Canada leads the NATO Multinational Brigade in Latvia, a formation of approximately 3,000 personnel from 14 NATO Allies," it said.

Aside from Ukraine, the Canadian and Latvian leaders discussed "the importance of peace and security to economic growth and to advancing Canada’s economic partnership with Europe through trade and defence."