2009
January
From 7 - 8 January, Minister for Foreign Affairs Maris Riekstins will participate in an informal meeting of the EU General Affairs Council to be hosted in Prague by the Czech Republic's presidency of the EU. As part of the meeting, an official ceremony opening the Czech presidency is planned with the participation of Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek and President of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso. The meeting will be chaired by Czech Deputy Prime Minister for European Affairs Alexandr Vondra.
February
Foreign Minister Maris Riekstins in a letter of condolence to the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Sergey Lavrov, has offered his deepest sympathy and expressed words of support to families of those who have died and suffered injuries in the fire at an old people's home in the Kortkerossky District, Republic of Komi.
March
On 31 March, Foreign Minister Maris Riekstins participated in the international conference Afghanistan: An Overall Strategy in a Regional Context which took place at The Hague. The international conference was jointly chaired by the UN special representative for Afghanistan, Kai Eide, the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan Rangin Dadfar Spanta, and Maxime Verhagen, Foreign Minister of the Netherlands.
April
On 6 May, Foreign Minister Maris Riekstins will meet with the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Co-operation of the Kingdom of Spain, Miguel Angel Moratinos, who will be in Latvia as part of the visit to Latvia by the King of Spain.
May
On 28 May, during the Foreign Ministers Meeting of the European Union (EU) and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Foreign Minister Maris Riekstins took part in the ministers' discussion on global financial crisis, its impact upon the economies of the European and Asian countries as well as national, regional and international scale measures for a rapid stabilisation of the financial situation.
June
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia expresses incomprehension over the reprehension against Latvia expressed by Alexander Chepurin, Director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Department for Relations with Compatriots Abroad in his article "Reference point: A Congress of Fellow Nationals" published on the website of the Russian Foreign Ministry.
July
The Foreign Ministry Secretary of State, Andris Teikmanis, at the opening of the touring exhibition The Baltic Way that moved the world in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 31 July, highlighted the significance of the Baltic Way campaign of 23 August 1989. Mr Teikmanis noted that the Baltic Way linked two million people who joined hands to form a human chain through Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, thus demonstrating their invincible determination to reestablish independence.
August
From 27 August to 10 September, works from the visual arts' competition "Me in the European Union" for children and young people will be exhibited in the lobby of the Foreign Ministry building. On 9 November, Foreign Minister Maris Riekstins will present awards to the authors of the best works.
September
On 29 September the report of the Cabinet of Ministers Representative in International Human Rights Organisations concerning its activities in 2008 was confirmed at a sitting of the Cabinet of Ministers.
October
On 26-27 October, Foreign Minister Maris Riekstins took part at the meeting of the European Union General Affairs and External Relations Council (GAERC) in Luxemburg that focused on the preparation of the European Council meeting of 28-29 October, the situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and in the Middle East, as well as on the issues of Moldova, Iran and Sri Lanka.
November
On 1-2 December, Foreign Minister Maris Riekstins will take part in the annual meeting of the OSCE (Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe) foreign ministers, organised by Greece currently holding the OSCE presidency.
December
From 1 January 2010 onwards, the representations of Latvia and Estonia in the Arab Republic of Egypt will work in jointly rented facilities, thus optimising their administrative costs.
