The Baltic States are concerned about the noted build-up of the Russian armed forces near the Ukraine border and in the Crimean Peninsula, the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the three Baltic States said April 15 during a joint working visit to Kyiv.
Diplomacy
Latvia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) took the unusual step April 13 of publicly rebuking a member of a foreign diplomatic mission based in Rīga.
Monday 12 April saw a new Latvian Chargé d’Affaires starting work Australia. Ieva Apine, begins her work in Canberra on an interim basis until a resident Ambassador of Latvia to Australia is accredited in the second half of 2021.
Spain's Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation of Spain, Arancha González Laya, was in Latvia on 8 April to meet with Latvian Foreign Minister, Edgars Rinkēvičs, on the occasion of the centenary of diplomatic relations between Latvia and Spain.
European Union leaders agreed to respect the principle of solidarity in the redistribution of additional doses of Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine - more vaccines will be received by countries that have got fewer so far, Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš said March 26.
Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkēvičs has decided to ban 118 citizens of the Republic of Belarus from entering Latvia indefinitely.
Foreign ministers of the three Baltic states had their first chance to get up close and personal -- while remaining suitably distanced -- with new United states Secretary of State Antony Blinken March 24 on the sidelines of a meeting of NATO foreign ministers.
On 24 March 2021, the International Accountability Platform for Belarus (IAPB), established with the aim of systematically documenting human rights abuses in Belarus and preserving evidence, is being put into operation, with backing from Latvia among others, the Latvian Ministry o Foreice Affairs (MFA) has announced.
Latvian Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš has added his name to a list of European national leaders who are calling on the European Union to do more to aid widespread vaccination gainst Covid-19.
March 5 saw Hungary's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Peter Szijjártó, in Latvia on a working visit which included meetings with President Egils Levits and Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkēvičs.
Estonian President Kersti Kaljulaid was in Latvia March 2 and took the opportunity to give an English-language interview to LTV.
The foreign ministries of Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania issued a joint statement February 25 in light of extraordinary political events recently in Georgia that have seen the arrest of a leading opposition figure as part of a government crackdown.
Dr. Mārtiņš Paparinskis has been nominated for election to the International Law Commission (ILC) for the term 2023-2027, the Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said February 24.
Latvia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement February 20 marking the seventh anniversary of the Maidan movement in Ukraine.
On February 17, Estonian foreign minister Eva-Maria Liimets made her first formal visit to Latvia. The Foreign Ministers discussed several issues regarding relations and cooperation.
On 17 February 2021, the Latvian Foreign Minister, Edgars Rinkēvičs, meets with the new Estonian Foreign Minister Eva-Maria Liimets, who is making her first working visit to Latvia from its northern neighbor since taking up the post on 26 January.
Baltic neighbors Latvia and Lithuania marked a century of diplomatic relations February 12.
On Friday, February 12, vaccination against Covid-19 will continue in Latvia, including state officials whose duties are related to ensuring the continuity of national security and basic state functions.
On Thursday, February 11, voluntary vaccination against Covid-19 will start for the country's top officials, whose duties are related to ensuring the continuity of national security and the country's basic functions.
It's five years since Rīga rolled out the red carpet for China and more than a dozen central and eastern European states and government leaders at the CEEC-China Summit, with conferences, unveiling ceremonies, the arrival of an experimental goods train from China at Rīga central station and the announcement of a new 10 billion euro fund which Latvia signed up to, and about which very little has been heard in the years since.
February 7 saw the Foreign Ministers of Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania issuing a joint statement to mark the international Day of Solidarity with Belarus. Six months on from elections widely believed to be fraudulent, the regime of self-declared president Alexander Lukashenko continues to assault and oppress its own people.
To support the civil society of Belarus, the Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs is launching a grant project competition titled “Development Cooperation Projects to Support Civil Society in Belarus”.
Latvia's Foreign Minister, Edgars Rinkēvičs, said February 2 that the European Union should impose fresh sanctions on Russia following the sentencing of opposition activist Alexey Navalny to nearly three years in prison.
On January 27, the European Commission has appointed Zane Petre as Head of the European Commission Representation in Latvia, according to a release by EC.
Latvia's long-serving Minister for Foreign Affairs, Edgars Rinkēvičs, is among a list of 31 people awarded the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Order of Merit, the Ministry said January 22.
From 18 to 29 January 2021, the heads of Latvia’s diplomatic missions abroad and Latvian Ambassadors residing in Rīga will have their annual meeting online to discuss the priorities and current tasks of the Foreign Service. According to tradition, the meeting was opened by Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkēvičs, a ministry press release said.
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights is to organise a parliamentary hearing by videoconference on the subject of “the poisoning of Alexey Navalny” on Tuesday 19th January 2021, beginning at around 11:30 am Rīga Time.
A group of 150 European Parliament members has issued a statement condemning early moves in the Latvian parliament, the Saeima, to define the family in solely heterosexual terms.
On 13 January 2021, political consultations of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Latvia and China were held in a video-conferencing format co-chaired by the State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Andris Pelšs, and the Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of China, Qin Gang, a press release from the Ministry said.
The government has approved Latvia's national position on the agreement between the European Union (EU) and former EU member state the United Kingdom on future relations, Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš said in a remote press conference December 28, LTV reports.