Latvia develops positive and dynamic relations with the United States, Canada and Latin America [19 Dec 2006]

The year 2006 has been marked by a number of significant events in Latvia's co-operation with the United States, Canada, and Latin America and which promotes Latvia's positive and dynamic image at the international level and outlines the criteria for future activities with the American continent in the bilateral and EU format.

On mutual visits, the NATO Summit was remarkable for the U.S. President's visit to Latvia as part of the Summit. It was the third visit by a U.S. Head of State to Latvia. The Canadian Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, and Foreign Minister Peter MacKay made a visit to Riga for the first time. This year brought another historic event in relations with Canada: in September, the President of Latvia was on a State visit to Canada. Another significant event in 2006 was the Latvian President's address to the U.S. Congress.

For the first time in the history of bilateral relations between Latvia and Latin America, high-ranking officials - the Colombian Foreign Minister, Carolina Barco, and the Mexican Minister of Health, Julio Frenk Mora, made a visit to Latvia. The Latvian delegation, headed by President Vaira Vike-Freiberga, participated in the 4^th EU-Latin American and Caribbean Summit in Vienna, Austria, during which the Latvian President met with the Chilean and Mexican Presidents. The Foreign Ministry's Parliamentary Secretary, Eriks Zunda, attended the inauguration ceremony of the newly-elected Mexican President Felipe Calderon in Mexico.

A trilateral project has been launched for the first time in which a Latvian diplomat undergoes an in-service training at the Spanish Embassy in Mexico and works on the promotion of Latvia's image at the Mexican institutions. The Latvian Foreign Ministry must possess comprehensive information and experience to ensure a timely presence in the region. Latvia plans to open the first Latvian Embassy in Latin America in the upcoming years, therefore a decision on further co-operation with Spain will be made by evaluating the capability from next year's ministerial budget.

Latvia's goal is to join the U.S. Visa Waiver Programme and to establish a visa-free regime with Canada and Brazil in the near future. This issue has been set as a priority in the bilateral and EU format and in the Coalition for Visa Equality established between the Baltic states and the countries of the Visegrad Group.

Support for Latvia's OECD accession is being searched for.

Facilitating of commerce, business contacts and attracting investments is an important direction. In the U.S. context, it is characterised by the third conference of investors in Riga, in which prominent U.S. companies participated, and the representation of the Latvian Investment and Development Agency in Washington that was opened this year. In her visit to Canada, the President was accompanied by representatives of 35 Latvian companies. Among promising industries for the Canadian - Latvian co-operation, the food industry, metalworking, engineering, wood processing, high technologies and tourism sector were identified. The Mexican company Cemex, one of the world's leading manufacturers of building materials, is planning to expand and make new investments in building of a plant, thus proving that companies from the Latin American region can also invest and successfully develop business in Latvia. In 2007, the Latvian Chamber of Commerce and Industry is organising a mission of Latvian entrepreneurs to Peru.

In co-operation with the U.S. and Canada, the transformation of experience for the EU's Eastern neighbours, especially in Moldova, Ukraine and Georgia, is continuing.

This year was characterised by a range of successful cultural activities by Latvian artists in the Latin American region: various Mexican states and cities have applauded to the national dance ensemble Dzintarins and the troupe of the Latvian National Opera, and the folklore group Ceiruleits participated in an international festival of traditional music and dance in Venezuela. Participation in international and EU-organised festivals of art and music in Mexico is also scheduled for 2007.

This year, diplomatic relations were established with a number of Caribbean countries – Saint Lucia, Haiti, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

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