From 15 to 18 May, the Foreign Minister Latvia Edgars Rinkēvičs is on a working visit to Uzbekistan. The purpose of the visit is to strengthen the relations of Latvia and the European Union with Uzbekistan, especially in regard to the Latvian Presidency of the European Union in first half of 2015.
From 19 to 23 May, Latvia will be hosting a visit from the President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, Cardinal Kurt Koch.
On 17 May, Vilnius hosts the meeting of EU State Secretaries and Secretaries General, at which Latvia is represented by the State Secretary Andrejs Pildegovičs.
On 16 May, the Foreign Ministry Parliamentary Secretary Viktors Makarovs headed the delegation of Latvia to the 123rd Session of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs Edgars Rinkēvičs has sent a letter of condolence to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, Maia Panjikidze, over the death of three Georgian soldiers in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
On 14 May, the Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Viktors Makarovs, and the Head of Security Policy and International Organisations Directorate, Ambassador Baiba Braže, met with the Georgian Ombudsman, Ucha Nanuashvili, who is in Latvia on an experience exchange visit.
On 10 May, in the conclusion of the Foreign Ministry grant project competition, “Support for development cooperation, development education and public awareness raising projects financed by the European Commission and other international aid donors in the recipient countries determined by the Republic Latvia and in the Republic of Latvia”, co-financing was allocated for the implementation of eight NGO projects in Latvia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Armenia, Ukraine, Moldova and Belarus.
Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkēvičs conveys deepest condolences to the Foreign Minister of Turkey Ahmet Davutoğlu over the death of several dozen of people in car bomb attacks in the town of Reyhanli.
On 10 May, Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkēvičs hosted the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and European Affairs of Belgium, Didier Reynders, for a bilateral visit.
Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkēvičs commends amendments adopted to the Citizenship Law, on which the members of the Saeima had been working for almost two years.
On 10 May, the Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Viktors Makarovs took part in an international conference organized by the Baltic Assembly on the role and involvement of the Baltic states in the European Union’s (EU) development cooperation policy.
On 10 May, the Foreign Minister of Latvia Edgars Rinkēvičs met with the Deputy Minister-President of the Federal State of Hessen and Minister of Justice, for Integration and Europe, Jörg-Uwe Hahn, who was accompanied by the delegation of the Landtag of Hesse.
“The region of Central Asia is already at this point a significant partner for Latvia in the transit sector, and our businesses have a certain potential for developing cooperation in other areas as well. The proof to this are a number of visits to the region, in which Latvian business people have also taken part,” Foreign Minister Rinkēvičs pointed out at the meeting of the Foreign Economic Policy Cooperation Council held today.
“On the European Union’s birthday, I wish every resident of Latvia to feel being a European who belongs to the large family of European states and, at the same time, the special European whose roots are in Latvia, who protects and knows Latvia’s culture, tradition and mentality,” says Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkēvičs, offering Europe Day greetings to all the people of Latvia.
On 9 May, in an official ceremony at the House of Blackheads, the President of Latvia Andris Bērziņš handed letters of credence to Andris Teikmanis, the new Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Latvia to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
May 15 will see the entry into effect of amendments to the Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Latvia and the Government of the Republic of Estonia on representation in issuing Schengen visas.
On 10 May, Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkēvičs will meet with the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and European Affairs of the Kingdom of Belgium, Didier Reynders, who is coming to Latvia on a working visit.
On 7 May the Minister of Foreign Affairs Edgars Rinkēvičs met with the Minister of State for EU Affairs of Hungary, Enikő Győri.
On 7 May, at the sitting of the Cabinet of Ministers, Andrejs Pildegovičs was approved as the new Foreign Ministry State Secretary, in relation to the posting of the current State Secretary Andris Teikmanis as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Latvia to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
On 7 May, Political Director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Acting State Secretary Andrew Pildegovičs received an accreditation visit from the with the Ambassador of Ecuador to Latvia Guerrero Murgueytio.
