Germany's Angela Merkel promised the Baltic states on Monday that NATO would defend them, although it would not send permanent combat troops but would increase manoeuvres in the region, Reuters reported. The Baltic states, Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania - former Soviet republics, have asked for an increased NATO presence to reinforce Article 5 of the alliance's constitution, which states that an attack on one of its members is an act of aggression against all, obliging them to react. "I want to stress that ... Article 5 of the NATO contract - the duty to provide mutual support - is not something which just exists on paper, but is also something which must be filled with life," said Merkel on a visit to the Latvian capital, Riga. Merkel told a joint news conference with Latvian Prime Minister Laimdota Straujuma that Germany would start "air policing" flights in Latvia from Aug. 20. Merkel said NATO leaders would discuss this at their summit in Cardiff on Sept. 4-5 and she expected them to reach a unified position.
