The Republic of Latvia and the Kingdom of Belgium enjoy good relations. The interest to develop bilateral co-operation is fostered by a common future and opportunities for co-operation within the EU and NATO, Belgium being a founding member of both organisations.

History of diplomatic relations  

Belgium recognised the State of Latvia on 26 January 1921. In the interwar period, commencing in 1924, Latvia was represented in Brussels by a Consul General. In 1927, under the guidance of Ambassador Mr Janis Lazdins, the Consulate General was reorganized into the Embassy of Latvia. From 1937 to 1940, Dr Mikelis Valters was the Ambassador of Latvia to Belgium. Belgium was among the countries that did not recognise the legality of the incorporation of Latvia into the Soviet Union. Diplomatic relations between the two countries were restored on 5 September 1991. The Latvian Embassy in Belgium was opened in 1994. Since 5 April 2006, the Latvian Ambassador to Belgium is Raimonds Jansons. Latvia is also represented in Belgium by three Honorary Consuls: Niels Dahlmann, Walter van Mechelen and Daniel Vanhoff.

Until October 2004, the Ambassador of Belgium accredited to Latvia resided in Vilnius. On 5 October 2004, Christian Verdonck was accredited as Ambassador of Belgium to Latvia.

On 8 February 2005, the Embassy of Belgium was officially opened in Riga. The premises of the Embassy of Belgium in Riga are also home of the Walloon Economic Representation (AVEX), headed by Frederic Biava.

Accreditations:

Ambassadors of the Republic of Latvia:

• Raimonds Jansons (residing in Brussels, Belgium) since 5 April 2006;
• Aivars Groza (residing in Brussels, Belgium), 28 September 2000 – 13 October 2005;
• Imants Liegis (residing in Brussels, Belgium) 22 April 1997–2 January 2000;
• Juris Kanels (residing in Brussels, Belgium) 24 August 1993 – 22 April 1997.

Ambassadors of the Kingdom of Belgium:

• Christian Verdonck (residing in Riga, Latvia). Accredited on 5 October 2004;
• Marie-Louise Vanherk (residing in Vilnius, Lithuania). Accredited on 21 January 2003;
• Louis Engelen (residing in Vilnius, Lithuania). Accredited on 4 April 2000;
• Baron Alain Guillaume (residing in Brussels, Belgium). Accredited on 3 March 1998
• Francis Ronse (residing in Brussels, Belgium). Accredited on 11 October 1994;
• A. Kamiel Criel (residing in Stockholm, Sweden). Accredited on 28 September 1992.

Economic co-operation

Economic relations between Latvia and Belgium show a growing trend. In   the first half of 2007, Latvian export to Belgium amounted to 30.3 million EUR, but import from Belgium  – 93.8 million EUR, placing Belgium in 18th and 14th place respectively. Latvian exports to Belgium consist mostly of wood and wood products, also products of the chemical and allied industries; imports include products of the chemical industry and allied sectors, machinery, mechanical appliances and electrical equipment. As of September 2007, Belgian investments in the equity capital of Latvian companies amounted to 4.24 million Latvian lats and were directed mainly towards the freight loading and warehousing sectors. According to the information from Lursoft, 99 Belgian – Latvian joint ventures have been listed with the Register of Enterprises of the Republic of Latvia, thus placing Belgium in the 23^rd position on the list of Latvian-Belgian joint ventures. The largest Belgian investor is Nord Natie N.v. which has invested in the construction of the container terminal at the Ventspils port and operates in areas of cargo loading, storage and warehouse management. 

Main export commodities to Belgium in the 1^st half of 2007 by type of commodity (M EUR)

Main import commodities from Belgium in the 1^st half of 2007 by type of commodity (M EUR)

Dynamics of trade between Latvia and Belgium from 2002 to the 1^st half of 2007 (EUR)

Co-operation in defence sector

Co-operation between Latvia and Belgium in the defence area continues to develop under the agreement signed between the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Latvia and the Ministry of Defence of the Kingdom of Belgium on co-operation in the military field. Belgium was the first country to provide patrolling of the Baltic air space by four F-16 fighter aircraft once the Baltic states were included in NATO. On 10 December 2002, the first military attaché of the Republic of Latvia was accredited in Brussels, with residence in Paris. 

A successful long-term co-operation has developed between the Naval Forces of Latvia and Belgium. Representatives of the Belgian Naval Force participate regularly in various training exercises in the Baltic region. Co-operation has also started between divers' schools of the two countries.

Co-operation in culture sector

There is active co-operation ongoing between Latvia and Belgium in the area of culture.

Art:

• In January 2007, an exhibition of paintings by Aleksejs Naumovs and Anitra Berzina "Moods in the Landscape" was held at the "AmArt" gallery in Brussels.

Theatre:

• In October 2006, the Flemish Contemporary Dance Company "Ultima Vez" (Brussels) gave a guest performance "The Mirror" to high audience acclaim. 
• In December 2006, the New Riga Theatre gave a guest performance of   The Long Life in Brussels.

Music:

• In 2006, the Belgian chamber music ensemble "Trio Cesar Franck" participated at the Autumn Chamber Music Festival.

Museums:

• From 9 May to 5 June 2005, an exhibition ART/W20. The Twentieth Century in Walloon Art was held at the Latvian National Museum of Fine Art in co-operation with the French community at the Commissariat-General of International Relations in Belgium and the Mons Museum of Fine Art. 

Cinema:

• On 9 May 2006, as part of the European Day, Fred Kelemen's film The Fall was shown at the  "EuroCine 25" in Brussels.
• In 2005, Varis Brasla's film Water Bomb for the Fat Tomcat was shown at "EuroCine 25" in Brussels.

Co-operation in transport sector

Co-operation in international shipments by road transport between Latvia and Belgium is ongoing under the agreement on international shipments by road transport signed in Athens on 11 June 1992 by the Republic of Estonia, the Republic of Lithuania, the Kingdom of Belgium, the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. Under this agreement a hexalateral meeting is held annually in one of the partner countries to discuss current issues in the area of international shipments by road transport.

The Latvian National Railway technical inspectorate has developed close co-operation with related institutions in Belgium, discussing issues of the railway sector within ILGGRI (International Group of Government Railway Inspectorates).

Co-operation in regional development and local government affairs

Active co-operation with Belgium is ongoing under the Baltic Sea region INTERREG IIIC programme. The programme includes a number of projects fostering harmonised and balanced development of the territory, taking into account regional, economic and social interaction.

Co-operation in children and family affairs

Co-operation between Latvia and Belgium is ongoing under the Protocol signed on co-operation in the youth sector between the Baltic states and Flanders for 2006 – 2008. The Protocol provides that once a year a co-operation seminar is held in one of the partner countries.  It is anticipated that in 2007 the seminar will take place in Latvia aimed at designing a youth policy for each of the partner countries in accordance with EU recommendations on youth policy (The White Book, the open method of co-ordination) and experience in each partner country, implementing and planning multi-directional co-operation at local, regional, national and international levels.

In 2006, the State Agency "Youth International Programme Agency" (YIPA) actively co-operated with the Kingdom of Belgium under informal educational programme "Youth".  YIPA staff and delegates took part in the training organised by the relevant Belgian national agencies and non-governmental organisations.

Co-operation with regions

Latvia is forging close relations not only with the federal structures of Belgium, but also with individual regions.

Co-operation between Latvia and Flanders, which has developed over the last seven years and is currently being implemented under the Latvia – Flanders co-operation programme for 2006 – 2008 signed between Latvia and Flanders on 9 May 2006, has been particularly successful. The co-operation covers various areas - economy, transport, environmental protection, culture, education, and local government. Experts of Latvian ports regularly enjoy scholarships offered by the Government of Flanders for seminars organised by the Antwerp/Flanders Port Training Centre.

Active co-operation has also been commenced with Wallonia. In April 2005, a co-operation programme was signed for the year 2005 - 2007 between the Belgian Francophone community, the Wallonia region and the government of Latvia.  In the second half of 2007, Latvia, Wallonia and the Francophone community plan to sign a co-operation programme for 2007- 2009. The main focus areas are culture, environmental protection, science and co-operation among universities, and, in particular, French language studies.

In co-operation with Wallonia and the Brussels French community, the Museum of the Occupation of Latvia is working on the French language edition of the book "1940-1991: Museum of the Occupation of Latvia". 

The Baltic office of the Walloon Export Agency (AWEX), which was opened on 8 March 2002 in Riga, is actively involved in the development of economic contacts.

Most significant visits: 

Main agreements:

Database of bilateral agreements: Kingdom of Belgium

External links on the Kingdom of Belgium:

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Belgium – http://www.diplomatie.be/