In publishing an article in its electronic periodical Eurasia Daily Monitor about Russia’s plans to purchase the French helicopter carrier ship Mistral, the research foundation The Jamestown Foundation has also cited Latvia’s position in the matter, quoting Latvian Minister of Defence Imants Lieģis at the meeting of the Baltic States defence ministers.

Internationally recognised expert in security policy matters Vladimirs Sokors published an article titled Moscow Seeks French High-Tech Transfers with Mistral Amphibious Assault Ship, in which he analyses Russia’s efforts to modernise its possession of arms by purchasing the carrier ship Mistral from France and the licence to permit construction of such ships in Russian shipbuilding yards. In the article, Sokors refers to the meeting of the Latvian, Lithuanian and Estonian defence ministers in December 2009, quoting Latvian Minister of Defence Imants Lieģis: “Undoubtedly, the existence of such a ship in the Baltic Sea can change the security situation in the region. Cooperation between NATO, the EU and Russia cannot be implemented at the expense of the security of other countries.”

Read the full version of the article Moscow Seeks French High-Tech Transfers with Mistral Amphibious Assault Ship by Vladimirs Sokors in the 7 January, 2010, edition of Eurasia Daily Monitor.

Vladimirs Sokors is the senior scientific employee of The Jamestown Foundation. He regularly participates in the lectures at Harvard University, the NATO Defence College, in international research institutes and conferences dedicated to security policy matters. He is also the author of numerous publications.