Defense Minister Andris Sprud (P) on Wednesday, during a meeting with the board member of the Latvian Hunters' Union Janis Zandbergs, signed a plan for jointly implemented activities for 2026.
As noted by Sprud, Latvian hunters, thanks to their skills, discipline, and practical experience, are an important support in strengthening national security. The cooperation between the defense sector and the Latvian Hunters' Union allows for the targeted involvement of hunters in comprehensive national defense, improving practical skills, and promoting patriotic participation in the defense of the state, the minister emphasized.
The signed plan of activities is an annually updated annex to the cooperation agreement between the Ministry of Defense and the Latvian Hunters' Union, concluded in 2017.
It is envisaged that the Ministry of Defense and the Latvian Hunters' Union, by cooperating with each other, will promote the voluntary involvement of hunters in comprehensive national defense and its strengthening. This includes the planned participation of members of the Latvian Hunters' Union in the comprehensive national defense exercises "Namejs 2026."
In turn, to develop long-range shooting skills and improve shooting accuracy, the National Armed Forces (NAF) will provide opportunities for training and mastering safe shooting skills by organizing long-range shooting sessions for hunters. At the same time, the Hunters' Union will offer Zemessardze members theoretical and practical knowledge about hunting, as well as the basic principles of survival and actions in the forest.
The Latvian Hunters' Union was founded in 2011 and unites more than 9,000 hunters. The goal of the union is to unite hunters for joint, organized actions and representation at local, national, and international levels, closely cooperating with both state and non-state institutions and organizations. There are about 22,000 active hunters in Latvia. Some of them have served or continue to serve in the National Armed Forces or Zemessardze.
