For Latvia, the communication was signed by the Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Andrejs Pildegovičs, and for Guinea-Bissau, by the Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Henrique Adriano Da Silva.
"The Ambassadors of both countries expressed satisfaction with the establishment of diplomatic relations, which shall facilitate bilateral cooperation and cooperation in international organisations. They discussed Latvia’s candidacy for the UN Security Council and the International Law Commission, as well as potential meetings between the officials of the two countries," said a release from the Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The West African country of Guinea-Bissau declared independence from Portugal in 1973. Its population of 1.92 million is almost identical to Latvia's but the country it is slightly smaller at 36,126 square kilometers (Latvia is 64,589 square kilometers). Another similarity is that the highest points of both countries are around 300 meters (Gaiziņkalns is the highest point in Latvia, at 311.5 meters, while according to the CIA Guinea-Bissau's highest point is at an "unnamed elevation in the eastern part of the country, 300 m".)
Diplomatic relations have currently been set up between Latvia and 190 of 193 UN member states. Latvia’s Foreign Service is working to establish diplomatic relations with the remaining three: Bhutan, South Sudan, and the Marshall Islands.
