00:00Thank you very much, dear Evica.
00:02It's very good to be here with you today.
00:05And thank you very much for the visit of Origin Robotics.
00:11It was visible that, if you may call it the future of collective capacity to deter and to defend,
00:19is being designed right here.
00:21And I was very happy to hear with European funds.
00:24It was impressive to see how innovative this company is and how fast this company is growing.
00:31So I really want to congratulate Latvia.
00:35You are on your way to become a true drone and anti-drone powerhouse.
00:41And this is impressive to see.
00:43Your expertise will certainly help shape Europe's security,
00:48but also NATO's defense strategies for the years to come.
00:52And that's why I am proud to start my eastern border travel right here in Latvia.
01:00And I want to be very clear.
01:03We know that Europe is only safe if the eastern border is safe.
01:10And therefore, the eastern border defense line is one of the most important flagships that has my full support.
01:19It's impressive the work that you are doing there.
01:21And count on me to be by your side.
01:25Dear Evika, the risks your country and the other Baltic states warned us about,
01:31unfortunately, have materialized.
01:34Russia's brutal war against Ukraine is now in its fourth year.
01:39Putin is a predator.
01:42Putin's proxies have been targeting our societies for years with hybrid attacks, with cyber attacks.
01:52The weaponizing of migrants is another example.
01:56And this is something, unfortunately, that Latvia knows only too well.
02:01You have a bitter experience in all these fields.
02:05So as we strengthen Ukraine's defense, we must also take greater responsibility for our own defense.
02:14And this is the logic of the 800 billion euro defense industrial plan that we have launched together.
02:22And part of this plan is the joint procurement instrument that we call SAFE.
02:29SAFE is a joint procurement instrument of 150 billion euros.
02:34And with SAFE we are delivering the capabilities Europe needs most.
02:39So, as I said, it's a joint procurement.
02:41It means air and missile defense.
02:44It means, for example, looking into cyber defense and, of course, drones.
02:49I'm very glad that 19 member states, including Latvia, of course, have now requested support through SAFE.
02:58And I'm pleased to announce that we have reached full subscription of the whole 150 billion euros.
03:06Thank you.
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