Canada and Latvia has signed an agreement to strengthen defence battalions in the Baltics, Latvian Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins said at a joint press conference with Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday

"A year ago we in NATO summit in Madrid together decided that these battalions (in Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Poland) should be strengthened up to a level of combat-capable brigade. And minutes ago our defence ministers signed a broad roadmap on how and when it is going to be done (in Latvia)", Karins said at a press conference in Adazi Military Base in Latvia.

Trudeau said Canada will deploy up to 1,200 additional troops in Latvia.

Trudeau is visiting Latvia ahead of a NATO summit in the neighbouring Lithuania's capital Vilnius on July 11-12.

(Reporting by Andrius Sytas and Johan Ahlander, editing by Anna Ringstrom)