NATO’s aerial surveillance mission in the Baltic states will be temporarily based in Latvia in 2024 instead of Estonia, the defense ministers of the neighboring EU member states announced on Sunday, dpa and Agerpres reported.

Britain and Germany jointly control the airspace of Baltic NATO members Estonia, Latvia and LithuaniaPhoto: dpa picture alliance / Alamy / Alamy / Alamy / Profimedia

Fighters and personnel from the NATO-led air police mission in the Baltic States will be based at Lijellvarde Airfield in Latvia, while maintenance work will continue at Emari Military Airport in Estonia.

Renovation work at Emara should begin next spring and last six to eight months, said Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur, who is in Riga for a meeting with his Latvian counterpart.

The Baltic republics have no air defenses, relying on NATO partners to patrol their airspace near the borders with Russia and Belarus, dpa notes.

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