2008
January
On 31 January, Foreign Minister Maris Riekstins and Defence Minister Vinets Veldre agreed on co-operation in the organizing of an international conference devoted to foreign policy and security policy issues end October. The event is to take forward and strengthen the conference tradition initiated during the Riga NATO Summit.
February
On 29 February an agreement between the Republic of Latvia and the Republic of Belarus On co-operation in the field of social security was signed in Minsk.
March
A result of a delay in the arrival of the French delegation, the joint press conference of Foreign Minister Maris Riekstins and the French Secretary of State for European Affairs, Jean-Pierre Jouyet, which was planned to take place today, 31 March, has been postponed.
April
On Wednesday, 30 April, the consultations of the e-PINE (Enhanced Partnership in Northern Europe) are underway, with the participation of Foreign Ministry Political Directors from Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, and the U.S.. The Latvian delegation at the consultations is being led by Peteris Ustubs, the Foreign Ministry Political Director. The U.S. is represented by Daniel Fried and Kurt Volker.
May
The Foreign Ministry wishes to inform that EU citizens have the opportunity to apply for the traineeship programmes of 2009 organised by the Council of the EU.
June
On 27 June, Latvian Foreign Minister Maris Riekstins held a press conference, during which he informed those present of the most significant recent foreign policy events and also about events planned for the near future.
July
On 1 August 2008, Normans Penke, Secretary of State of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs met with Pekka Wuoristo, Ambassador of Finland, who had called on a farewell visit.
August
31 August 2008 marks ten years since the Skrunda Radio Location Station terminated its operations. On this occasion, Foreign Minister Maris Riekstins has sent a letter of congratulations to members of the Skrunda Joint Commission expressing his gratitude to everybody who was involved in the implementation of the Skrunda agreement.
September
On September 30, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Maris Riekstins, met with the new Ambassador of Belgium to Latvia, Leopold Merckx, who had called as part of his accreditation visit. During the meeting, the issues discussed were bilateral co-operation between Latvia and Belgium, the progress of the EU Presidency, as well as current events in international politics.
October
On 3-4 November, the Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Eriks Zunda, will represent Latvia at the 10th Union for the Mediterranean Conference of Foreign Ministers in Marseilles, France.
November
Minister for Foreign Affairs Maris Riekstins has expressed his deepest sympathy to the people of India regarding the attacks by gunmen which took place in the Indian city of Mumbai on 26 November, in which more than 100 people were killed and more than 300 were injured.
December
On 1 December, media representatives are invited to the press conference of Foreign Minister Maris Riekstins about the meeting of NATO Foreign Ministers in Brussels and the meeting of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Foreign Ministers in Helsinki, as well as other current events in foreign policy.
