British minister pays brief visit

Take note – story published 5 years ago

British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt paid a brief visit to Rīga August 15 as part of a whistlestop charm offensive as the UK braces itself to leave the European Union.

Hunt had talks with Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkēvičs after which both men expressed hopes that a deal could be in place before Britain crashes out of the European Union and its single economic zone next spring.

They also discussed the fates of Latvians in the UK and Britons in Latvia, which remain uncertain, with Rinkēvičs drawing particular attention to the status of Latvian citizens in UK offshore tax haven Guernsey and asking for specific action from the British side.

"It is crucial for Latvia that its citizens in Great Britain after Brexit could continue to live and work in the United Kingdom. Therefore, it is also very important to ensure social guarantees for Latvian citizens in Guernsey and we ask you to issue a letter of entrustment to Guernsey, which would enable it to conclude a bilateral social security agreement with Latvia, " said Rinkēvičs.

Hunt succeeded Boris Johnson as Foreign Secretary in July amid internal wrangles in the Conservative Party over what direction the so called "Brexit" should take more than two years after a referendum on leaving the EU.

You can watch the entire press conference below, if you are so inclined.

 

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