The first part of the trip, from September 17 to September 21 sees the President beating the drum for Latvian business on the west coast in California as part of a major trade delegation. The second part of the trip, from September 22 to September 27 sees him back on the east coast to participate in the opening of the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
"The aim of the visit is to raise Latvia’s competitiveness by expanding the export market for Latvian companies and attracting investment. The President of Latvia and the accompanying delegation will visit several of the world’s leading high-tech companies – META, Google, OpenAI, and Groq. He will also visit Silicon Valley's Ames Research Centre of the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)," said an outline of the trip from the Presidential Chancellery.
"The visit will also entail participation in a startup networking event with potential investors organised by Mach49 in cooperation with TechChill and Storm Ventures," the itinerary notes.
During the visit, the President will also participate in a roundtable discussion with Stanford University representatives, including former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, and the philosopher Francis Fukuyama.
The President of Latvia is also scheduled to meet with the Governor of California, Gavin Newsom, and Latvians living in California, and several interviews with U.S. media outlets are planned.
The President's address to the UN General Assembly is scheduled for September 25 at approximately midnight Latvian time.
"In his address, E. Rinkēvičs will focus on the issue of Russia's aggression against Ukraine and its threat to the rules-based international order. He will also address the situation in the Middle East and the importance of achieving the global Sustainable Development Goals," said the Chancellery.
During his visit to New York, the President will participate in the Summit of the Future, the UN Security Council's open debate on upholding international peace and security, a high-level meeting on addressing the existential threat posed by rising sea levels, and a Clinton Global Initiative discussion on the social impact of artificial intelligence solutions.
During the UN General Assembly, the Presidents of the Baltic states will meet with UN Secretary-General António Guterres and Polish President Andrzej Duda. The President of Latvia will also hold several bilateral meetings as he tries to rally other leaders to support Latvia's candidacy for a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council for 2026-2027.
In New York, the President of Latvia will also attend an informal meeting on global geopolitical challenges organised by the World Economic Forum (Davos Forum) and meet with Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI as well as attending a reception hosted by U.S. President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden.
