Latvia offered words of encouragement to Ukraine April 4 after the Ukrainian parliament passed a major reform package in its first reading.
Latvian State President Egils Levits had a telephone call with his Belarusian counterpart, Alexander Lukashenko March in which the pair discussed a future visit of the authoritarian leader to Latvia, reported the Latvian presidential press service.
Latvia lined up with a longlist of other states March 23 to condemn elections held in the occupied Georgian territory of Abkhazia as illegitimate.
Latvia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced March 13 some temporary changes to the manner in which consular services are provided overseas.
Senior officials from the Baltic states and Poland on March 5 released a joint statement voicing their full backing for the European Union membership hopes of countries in the western Balkans. The statement was released at the end of a joint visit to the region and is reproduced below.
From 3 March to 5 March 2020, the Latvian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Edgars Rinkēvičs, is visiting Albania and North Macedonia together with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland, Jacek Czaputowicz, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania, Linas Linkevičius, and the Undersecretary for European Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia, Märt Volmer.
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada, François-Philippe Champagne was in Latvia March 2 for a series of meetings to discuss bilateral and regional relations.
In the wake of the various controversies surrounding the Kristīne Misāne extradition case, on 27–28 February 2020, the non-resident Ambassador of Latvia to the Republic of South Africa (RSA), Raimonds Jansons, and Counsellor, Head of the Consular Legal Division at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dagnija Lāce-Ate, were on a working visit to the country, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported February 28.
Latvia and the United States on February 27 signed a "Joint Declaration on 5G Security" in a move that effectively aligns Latvia's future development of its 5G communications networks with the U.S. line on avoiding the use of Chinese companies, and in particular Huawei, in vital parts of 5G networks.
A Copenhagen court on February 14 ruled that Latvian citizen Kristīne Misāne should remain in custody pending an extradition request in place from South Africa, where she will face charges of kidnapping, document forgery and other charges.
On 12 February 2020, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Latvia, Edgars Rinkēvičs met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration of Moldova, Aureliu Ciocoi, who was in Latvia on a working visit.
With the Latvian Foreign Ministry and Justice Ministry already deeply involved in negotiations with Denmark over the controversial extradition of a Latvian citizen to South Africa, a minister without any obvious brief to get involved in extradition cases has also charged into the fray.
On 10 February, Danish Ambassador Flemming Stender was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs by Secretary of State Andris Pelšs where he was presented with a "démarche" - a diplomatic term used to denote a formal representation of one government's official position, views, or wishes on a given subject to the envoy of another government.
Friday, 7 February sees Estonian Prime Minister Jüri Ratas hosting Latvian Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš and Lithuanian Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis in Tallinn within the framework of the Baltic Council of Ministers.
"The meeting will focus on Rail Baltic and other regional connections, as well as the EU multiannual financial framework for 2021-2027. Also participating in the meeting will be Johannes Hahn, European Commissioner for Budget and Human Resources," said an Estonian government press release.
“Estonia coordinates the work of the Baltic Council of Ministers in 2020. One of our priorities is improving connectivity in the region. We will continue to work closely on regional energy and transport projects such as Rail Baltica and the synchronisation of the Baltic electricity grid with the continental system, which will benefit the whole region,” said Prime Minister Jüri Ratas before the meeting.
"The meeting will focus on Rail Baltic and other regional connections, as well as the EU multiannual financial framework for 2021-2027. Also participating in the meeting will be Johannes Hahn, European Commissioner for Budget and Human Resources," said an Estonian government press release.
“Estonia coordinates the work of the Baltic Council of Ministers in 2020. One of our priorities is improving connectivity in the region. We will continue to work closely on regional energy and transport projects such as Rail Baltica and the synchronisation of the Baltic electricity grid with the continental system, which will benefit the whole region,” said Prime Minister Jüri Ratas before the meeting.
A Latvian citizen living in Wuhan, China - epicenter of the current deadly coronavirus outbreak - is one the way home thanks to help from fellow European Union member state France.
After the extradition case of Latvian mother Kristīne Misāne, the Ministry of Justice has prepared an agreement regarding judicial cooperation with the Republic of South Africa, according to Justice Minister Jānis Bordāns (New Conservative Party) on February 3.
One of Latvia's most popular diplomats is to swap her ambassadorship for a senior role at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), it was announced January 29.
The chairman of the Latvian Saeima's Foreign Affairs Commitee delivered a damning verdict January 28 on the election of a Russian politician to a senior position at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE).
The only known Latvian citizen in the Chinese city of Wuhan plans to return to Latvia with the help of France through Paris, according to State Emergency Medical Service (NPMP) Director Liene Cipule on January 28.
The Latvian Institute of International Affairs (LIIA) on January 22 launched the publication of the annual Latvian Foreign and Security Policy Yearbook 2020.
With a view to improving the reception of consular services at the diplomatic and consular missions of Latvia abroad, an online application system is being phased in as of January 2020, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced January 20.
Latvan Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš made the short trip across the eastern border to Belarus January 16 for meetings with his Belarusian counterpart Sergei Roumas and long-time President Alexander Lukashenko.
The Latvian government will donate 50,000 euros to international efforts to respond to catastrophic wildfires in Australia, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced January 15.
On 14 January in New Delhi, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Latvia, Edgars Rinkēvičs, met with the Minister of External Affairs of India, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, and used the occasion - not for the first time - to invite India to open an embassy in Rīga.
On 10 January 2020 in Riga, the Latvian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Edgars Rinkēvičs, met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary, Péter Szijjártó, who was in Latvia on a brief working visit to discuss bilateral relations and issues important for the European Union in its relations with neighbouring countries.
Latvian officials suspect that around 40,000 Latvian citizens of an estimated 117,000 who currently live and work in the United Kingdom have yet to register with the British authorities, one of the consequences of the "Brexit" withdrawal of the UK from the European Union.
Riga mayor Oļegs Burovs met with recently-intstalled United States Ambassador to Latvia John L. Carwile December 16 with the sun-kissed Californian city of San Diego on the agenda.
On 12 December 2019, the State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia, Andris Pelšs, held political consultations with the First Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Titov, the ministry said in a news release.
On 12 December 2019, the Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs hosts a conference devoted to development cooperation, titled “Latvia’s contribution to sustainable global development: Seeking new cooperation models”, organised in cooperation with NGO the Latvian Platform for Development Cooperation.
On 6 December 2019, the Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN), António Guterres, approved Ilze Brands-Kehris as his Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights, the highest-ranking post in the UN structure ever held by someone from Latvia, according to a release from the ministry of foreign affairs.