Baltic parliamentarians call for cooperation with the Nordic countries on crisis preparedness

On 16-17 April 2026, Baltic parliamentarians attended the Nordic Council Theme Session in Oslo, Norway. The meeting was dedicated to the discussion of “Are the Nordics prepared for crises?” Attendees discussed practical solutions, which would strengthen crisis preparedness through cooperation, with Deputy Minister of Health of Ukraine, Ihor Kopach, stating that Ukraine is willing to share any lessons learned in fighting the war of aggression posed by Russia, and how that ties into their preparedness. 

Giedrius Drukteinis, Vice President of the Baltic Assembly, shared that for the Baltic States, crisis preparedness is a daily reality. Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine has fundamentally changed the understanding of security. It has been demonstrated that crises can escalate quickly and affect every part of society. In response, Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia have made preparedness and resilience central priorities of our policies. However, he highlighted that “one key lesson stands above all: Preparedness cannot be built in isolation. It must be built together with like-minded allies!”

He added that cooperation between the Baltic States and the Nordic countries has intensified significantly in recent years, and just last month, ten countries, including the Baltic and Nordic states, signed a memorandum of understanding in Stockholm to strengthen coordinated responses to major crises, including military threats and large-scale evacuations. 

He introduced that at the Baltic level, the countries are also strengthening cooperation in very practical ways, including joint evacuation planning, the Rail Baltica project, and the Baltic Defence Line. Additionally, he added that the Baltic Assembly has consistently emphasised a whole-of-society approach, involving citizens, municipalities, and institutions in building resilience together, “because ultimately, a prepared society is one of the strongest lines of defence. Lessons from Ukraine have taught us this.”

The Baltic Assembly at the meeting was represented by Vice Presidents Giedrius Drukteinis and Jānis Vucāns. 

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