Great power politics 'dangerous' for Baltics: Latvian president

ISTANBUL

Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics has warned that the emerging new world order with spheres of influence and great power politics is "dangerous" for Baltic states and regional countries.

"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," Rinkevics told Polish broadcaster TVP World on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference on Sunday.

He noted that the post-Cold War era and the rules-based world order established after World War II are "gone," describing the current period as one of "great power politics," dominated by powers such as China, the US, and, questionably, Russia, as well as the EU if the bloc acts collectively.

Rinkevics further warned that spheres of influence and great power politics would be dangerous for the Baltic states and other countries in the region. "It's dangerous for our existence, and we need to take this very, very seriously."

“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.

When asked if Latvia has alternative plans in case NATO fails, Rinkevics pointed to several layers, such as "national defense, regional defense, European defense, (and) transatlantic defense."

Rinkevics, however, expressed faith in the transatlantic relationship, as “there is a lot of rhetoric, but there is also a lot of practical cooperation with the United States and Canada going on.”