The Rīga Conference, one of the leading annual security and foreign policy forums in the Baltic-Nordic region, gathered again this year in the Latvian capital, bringing together heads of state, diplomats, military leaders and analysts to discuss the future of European security. Beyond the panels on Ukraine and deterrence, the conference has increasingly become a meeting point for smaller states navigating powerful neighbors — a theme that resonates strongly for Armenia as it seeks to redefine its foreign policy course and deepen ties with the European Union.

On the sidelines of the conference, CCBS News journalist Marine Kharatyan conducted an exclusive interview with Dr. Una Aleksandra Bērziņa-Čerenkova, Director of the Latvian Institute of International Affairs, about the lessons Latvia’s own post-Soviet transformation can offer Armenia — from reforming security institutions and countering Russian propaganda to understanding what EU accession actually requires, and how the hard-won experience of the Baltic states can be translated into concrete support for Yerevan.

CCBS News: As a country that shares a border with Russia, how did Latvia go about building security institutions free of outside influence, and what of that process might apply to Armenia?

Dr. Una Aleksandra Bērziņa-Čerenkova: I think the learning is mutual — that's why we also work with our Armenian colleagues and discuss our shared experiences. It's not so much what Latvia can offer, but that strength lies in this mutual exchange. Having said that, I believe the first lesson is to put your state security services in order and make sure there is no foreign interference within them. That is something the Baltic states, including Latvia, did immediately after re-establishing independence in 1991, and even more so after 1994, when the remnants of the former Red Army finally left our territory. It's part of a broader process of reconstruction — and in Armenia's case, a process of post-conflict reconstruction as well. In that process, it's essential to dismantle the informal and harmful structures of influence through which the Russian state tries to maintain control over countries it sees as belonging to its periphery, its "backyard," or its sphere of claim. That's our number one lesson. The second is building an immediate, shared narrative of statehood — a story of what it means to belong to the state, that brings people together regardless of the language they speak at home or their ethnicity. In our case, that is the story of a country that wants an open, free, European, safe and democratic future.

CCBS News: Turning to societal resilience — where does the Baltic experience with disinformation offer the most relevant lessons for Armenia?

Dr. Una Aleksandra Bērziņa-Čerenkova: There's an overlap here, I think. Around 36 percent of our population speaks Russian at home. I don't know the exact figures for Armenia, but I would assume a significant part of society also consumes content in Russian. Russia, as a hybrid actor, always tries to exploit the spread of the Russian language and its presence within our societies. It tries to monopolize everything connected to how Russian culture is perceived — the Orthodox Church is one such example in our case. Once we understood that this is the playbook, we acted. Immediately after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, we began the process of banning these Russian media outlets, because they are not media in the sense that freedom of speech would apply to them — this is propaganda, this is hybrid warfare. So we closed that space.

CCBS News: How do you close them, in practice?

Dr. Una Aleksandra Bērziņa-Čerenkova: Their licenses were revoked — they are illegal. So we no longer have official access to these media. Of course, YouTube still exists, and no one is prosecuted for watching it; that remains people's own choice. But the state position — shared to a greater or lesser extent across all three Baltic states — is unequivocal: this is not news, it is part of the information and hybrid warfare that Russia is knowingly and strategically waging against us, weaponizing the Russian language in a cynical pursuit of its geopolitical interests. I don't know whether that approach is transplantable to other countries, but for the Baltic states, cleaning up the standard of reporting and the information environment has genuinely helped.

CCBS News: How would you compare the EU's level of engagement in the South Caucasus with the attention it has historically given the Baltic region?

Dr. Una Aleksandra Bērziņa-Čerenkova: Since we've been EU members since 2004, that question is, in a sense, already settled for us — our task now is learning to speak up at the table, understanding that we are not just members but stakeholders, taking ownership of EU policies rather than simply being a downloader of Brussels regulations. As for the South Caucasus, the EU is very aware that it exists within a neighborhood — that it shares borders, transit routes and prosperity flows, and perhaps even shared ideas about how open societies should function, with the nations around it. There is a constant, present interest in keeping those ties and being a good partner and neighbor. On the Baltic states specifically, I'd say we bring particular expertise, because we were part of the same shared system for fifty years alongside your countries in the South Caucasus. We have people-to-people ties, families with heritage living here, and Latvian families living in the South Caucasus as well. I actually believe that by admitting the Baltic states, the EU also strengthened its own expertise and connection to the South Caucasus — if you look at how our foreign ministers and presidents communicate, they consistently keep that conversation about our links to the Caucasus alive.

CCBS News: Looking ahead, what role do you see the Baltic states playing as Armenia pursues deeper EU integration?

Dr. Una Aleksandra Bērziņa-Čerenkova: Going back to my earlier point — it's the advocacy of someone who has been through a similar ordeal, as we were during the Soviet occupation. It's the knowledge, and the transfer of lessons learned. You opened with a very good question about exactly that. We went through the process of EU accession, of standardization, of Europeanization — a great deal of institutional "homework". Some of those lessons are easier to learn and transfer when they come from someone with whom you already share a people-to-people connection. That, I think, is the role of the Baltic states: to support Armenia and provide concrete, institutional guidance on how that reconstruction and accession process was actually carried out. Our shared experience and our people-to-people ties will be decisive here. And I should add — we have a very large Armenian community in Latvia, an active part of our society and our institutions, so there is also a great deal that can be done through diaspora connections.

Journalist

Marine KHARATYAN

#ARMENIA

#RUSSIA

#INTERVIEW

#LATVIA

17.09.2026 07:45