Latvia's Foreign Minister Discusses Russia-Iran Threats at US Terrorism Conference
Latvia's Foreign Minister Baiba Braže attended a US-hosted conference titled 'The Resurgence of Political Terrorism' in Washington, where she discussed defence cooperation, support for Ukraine, Middle East security, energy issues and joint efforts against threats from Russia and Iran. [1]
Latvia's Foreign Minister Attends US Conference
Latvia's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Baiba Braže, has returned from a large-scale meeting in Washington, D.C., called by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio the title of which was 'The Resurgence of Political Terrorism'. [1] During her visit to Washington, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Baiba Braže, discussed defence cooperation, support for Ukraine, the security situation in the Middle East, energy and joint action to counter threats posed by Russia and Iran with US and international partners, according to an account of the trip by the Latvian Foreign Ministry. [1] Braže met with US senators, met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Israel, ministers from unspecified 'South American countries', as well as White House and US administration officials and the leaders of the Joint Baltic American National Committee (JBANC). [1]
Braže's Bilateral Meetings in Washington
During the meeting with Senators Elissa Slotkin, Gary Peters and Mark Kelly, the Minister highlighted the special bond between Latvia and the US and their close partnership in the field of defence, said the Ministry. [1] Discussions between Baiba Braže and Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar focused on the security situation in the Middle East and efforts to prevent further escalation in the region, the Foreign Ministry said. [1] During a meeting with the leaders of the Joint Baltic American National Committee (JBANC), cooperation in representing the interests of the Baltic states in the US and coordinated future joint activities were discussed. [1] Braže thanked the organisation's departing Managing Director, Karl Altau, for his contributions and expressed her commitment to working with the new Managing Director, Lee Allen. [1]
Latvia's Warnings on Russia-Iran Hybrid Threats
In her address to the showcase meeting hosted by Rubio, Braže reportedly "shared Latvia’s experience in strengthening resilience against the harmful influence and hybrid threats from foreign countries. The Minister emphasised that Russia and Iran are coordinating their actions more closely than ever, using sabotage, cyberattacks, disinformation, and proxy groups and criminal networks they support to weaken democratic countries. Countering these threats requires closer cooperation among allies, timely information sharing and coordinated action," said the Ministry's account, without quoting her directly or publishing the text of her speech. [1]
Rubio and Miller speeches at the conference
In contrast, Rubio's introductory speech was published in full and gives a clear picture of the current preoccupations of the State Department. [1] Even though the conference was titled "The resurgence of political terrorism", Rubio focused his ire exclusively on what he called "far-left terrorism", adding early in his speech that his speech would be misrepresented. [1] "Even today, the very idea that far-left terrorism could be a serious threat is treated as a right-wing fever dream, or worse, as a dangerous fascist conspiracy. It’s treated this way by many in the press, by many in academia and our universities, and by many of our legacy institutions. You will no doubt see the dogma rear its head in the coverage of this very conference," he suggested. [1] After listing many atrocities and murders committed by different "left-wing extremists" in various countries over the last 50 years, Rubio painted a picture of a vast global conspiracy of left-wing ideologues bent on destroying the world because they are extremely envious. [1] "They coordinate, they communicate, they travel, they train, and they act together, sharing the same infrastructure, sharing the same enemies, sharing the same mission. Antifa militants and their comrades travel from across Europe and to the Americas to participate in each other’s attacks," said Rubio. [1] All this is happening right under the noses of the world's security services and thus Rubio said it was necessary to "rebuild our counterterrorism architecture to defeat it. Just as we have done together before, now we must do it together again... It is time for the people of the civilized world to defend ourselves, to stand united against this encroaching darkness, and fight – fight for what is ours." [1] Yet perhaps the most striking contribution came from the next person to the podium, Stephen Miller, a senior advisor to President Donald J. Trump, who advised the assembled throng to "trust your instincts" and be suspicious of people who do not look "normal". [1] "It’s not a coincidence that when you look at these violent antifa demonstrations and you see any photograph of those who were assembled – to be blunt, not one of the people that is demonstrating looks like a normal person. Not one looks normal. They’re all deformed in some way – in their appearance, in their dress, in their mannerism. Why is that? Why? If you look at two photographs and you see a normal American in the street and you see an Antifa protest, why do the people that are violently demonstrating – why is there not one normal-looking person among them? Every one of them, through the course of their life and their decisions, has scarred their body and their appearance in many different ways, to the point in which their outer appearance becomes a manifestation of their inner hatred." [1]
Related Global Developments
The leaders of France and Germany on Friday sought to put the collapse of a flagship joint jet fighter project behind them as they agreed on a symbolic step towards greater nuclear deterrence and stronger defences for Europe. [2] In his meeting with Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul on the sidelines of the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai on Friday, Xi told him that resolving the conflict was in both countries’ “common and long-term interests”. [3] He called for dialogue between the two sides and promised that China would play a “constructive role”, according to state news agency Xinhua. [3] He delivered a similar message in a separate meeting with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, adding that China supported a negotiated solution. [3] The dispute escalated into the deadliest fighting between the neighbours in more than a decade last year, resulting in more than 100 military and civilian deaths and hundreds of injuries. [3] A ceasefire reached in December 2025 has largely held, but both sides have continued to accuse the other of breaches. [3] The United States has renewed its travel advisory for the Middle East, urging Americans to reconsider travel to or through the region, warning that heightened regional tensions have created a volatile security environment with the potential for sudden and unforeseen escalation. [5] The U.S. Department of State issued the updated advisory on Friday, saying security conditions. [5]
What to watch next: The US travel advisory for the Middle East remains in place amid volatile tensions, while Germany and France continue steps on nuclear deterrence and China maintains its call for dialogue on the Thailand-Cambodia border.
