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Latvia and Mexico enjoy friendly bilateral relations. In the nearest future, co-operation needs to be developed in the areas of education, tourism, and economy. So far, both countries have successfully co-operated within international organisations. There is a visa-free regime between Latvia and Mexico.
Diplomatic relations
Mexico recognised the state of Latvia on 10 May 1927. The diplomatic relations between the countries were restored on 27 November 1991.
From 1993 to late 1999, Latvia's interests in Mexico were represented by Ambassador Ojars Kalnins. On 28 May 2002, Mr Aivis Ronis was accredited as the Latvian ambassador to Mexico. On 9 March 2005, President Vaira Vike-Freiberga presented credentials to Maris Riekstins, Ambassador of Latvia to the United Mexican States, who presented these to the President of Mexico, Vicente Fox, on 22 March 2006. Andrejs Pildegovics, the non-resident Latvian Ambassador to Mexico, was accredited on 8 May 2008. The Latvian Ambassador resides in Washington, DC.
Since 1993, Beatrise Aboltina-Trueblood is the Latvian Honorary Consul to Mexico.
Mexico is represented in Latvia by the Mexican Embassy in Stockholm. The first Ambassador of Mexico to Latvia, Jorge Pinto Levi Mazal, was accredited on 27 February 1992. He was followed by Ambassador Lorenzo Vignal on 13 February 1995, Javier Barros Valero on 13 October 2001, and Jorge Castro-Valle Kuehne on 5 June 2001. On 31 October 2006, Norma Bertha Pensado Moreno was accredited as the Mexican Ambassador to Latvia.
Mexico has assigned Carlos Arredondo Martinez as its Honorary Consul to Latvia. He received his exequatur on 28 April 2000.
Latvia's economic relations with Mexico
1. Trade (according to data from the Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia)
January – December 2006
1. Lithuania – 788,418,743 USD or 14.11 % of the total exports from Latvia
2. Estonia – 677,475,768 USD or 12.12 %
3. Germany – 562,635,155 USD or 10.07 %
4. Russian Federation – 523,368,676 USD or 9.37 %
5. United Kingdom – 443,333,400 USD or 7.93 %
...
68. Mexico – 1, 798,593 USD or 0.03%
1. Germany – – 1,609,581,384 USD or 15.02 % of total imports to Latvia
2. Lithuania – 1,373,000,060 USD or 12.81 %
3. Russian Federation – 891,580,050 USD or 8.32 %
4. Estonia – 810,199,559 USD or 7.56 %
5. Poland – 751,076,957 USD or 7.01 %
...
62. Mexico – 2, 574,415 USD or 0.02%
In 2006, Latvia had a negative trade balance with Mexico to the amount of USD 775,822.
Main exports to Mexico by type of commodity in 2006, USD
|
Type of commodity |
Million USD |
Percentage of total exports |
|
Total |
1.799 |
100 % |
|
Machinery and equipment; electrical appliances
–insulated wire and cable, optical fibre cable – 93 % |
0.721 |
40.11 % |
|
Prepared foodstuffs
- spirits – 81 % |
0.449 |
24.98 % |
|
Mineral products
- peat – 100 % |
0.273 |
15.19 % |
Main imports from Mexico by type of commodity in 2006, USD
|
Type of commodity |
Million USD |
Percentage of total imports |
|
Total |
2.574 |
100% |
|
Prepared foodstuffs
- fruit juices – 66 % |
1.922 |
74.66 % |
|
Vehicles
- motor cars, principally designed for the transport of persons– 100 % |
0.374 |
14.54 % |
Dynamics of Latvian - Mexican trade between 1998 and 2006, USD
|
Year |
Exports |
Imports |
|
1998 |
1,013,003 |
3,834,717 |
|
1999 |
214,076 |
235,891 |
|
2000 |
946,171 |
400,640 |
|
2001 |
932,223 |
631,793 |
|
2002 |
207,284 |
658,836 |
|
2003 |
233,146 |
931,521 |
|
2004 |
1,114,637 |
1,216,905 |
|
2005 |
1,162,526 |
1,767,251 |
|
2006 |
1,798,593 |
2,574,415 |
Investment
As of 6 August 2007, 2 Mexican-Latvian joint ventures were listed with the Register of Enterprises of the Republic of Latvia. Mexican direct investment in the equity of Latvian-registered companies amounted to LVL 2,800. [1]
Visits and meetings
|
8 May 2008 |
Accreditation of Andrejs Pildegovics, non-resident Latvian Ambassador to Mexico. |
|
| 3-7 March 2008 |
First round of talks in Mexico City between Latvian and Mexican ministries of finance on the conclusion of a Convention for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and for the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion. |
|
| 22-23 October 2007 |
First meeting of Latvia-Mexico Joint Commission on Culture, Education, and Sports Affairs and subsequent conclusion of a Co-operation Programme 2007-2010. |
|
|
2 May 2007 |
Third political consultations between Latvian and Mexican Foreign Ministries take place in Riga |
|
December 2006 |
The first guest performance by the Latvian National Opera in Mexico City and Puebla. |
|
|
9-14 December 2006 |
Visit by Sovita Zvidrina, Secretary of State of the Ministry of Culture, a meeting with the representatives of the culture sector. |
|
|
1 December 2006 |
Eriks Zunda, Parliamentary Secretary of the Foreign Ministry officially represents Latvia at the inauguration ceremony of Felipe Calderon, President of Mexico. |
|
|
1 September – 15 November 2006 |
In co-operation with the Foreign Ministry of Spain, Latvia sends one of its diplomats for internship and competence-building at the Embassy of Spain in Mexico, Mexico City. |
|
|
18 July 2006 |
Visit to Latvia by Dr Julio Frenk Mora, the Mexican Minister of Health. |
|
12 May 2006 |
Meeting in Vienna, Austria, between President Vaira Vike-Freiberga and the President Vicente Fox of the United Mexican States, as part of the 4th EU-Latin America/Caribbean Summit. |
|
6 March 2006 |
Political consultations between the Latvian and Mexican Foreign Ministries in Mexico City. The Latvian delegation was headed by Edgars Skuja, the Foreign Ministry's Under-Secretary of State. |
|
23-29 June 2005 |
Visit by Helena Demakova, the Latvian Minister of Culture, to Mexico, and meeting with Sari Bermudez, President of the Mexican National Council of Arts and Culture; Luis-Martin Lozano, Director of the Museum of Modern Art; Felipe Solis, Director of the National Anthropology Museum, and other recognised Mexican culture representatives. |
|
14-15 April 2005 |
Ina Druviete, the Latvian Minister of Education and Science, represented Latvia for the first time at the meeting of the EU-Latin America/Caribbean Education Ministers in Mexico. As part of the meeting, Ms Druviete met with Reyes Silvestre Tamez Guerra, the Mexican Public Education Secretary. |
|
28-29 May 2004 |
Bilateral meeting between President Vaira Vike-Freiberga and the President Vicente Fox of the United Mexican States, as part of the EU-Latin America /Caribbean Summit in Guadalajara. |
|
27-30 June 2003 |
Working visit to Mexico by the delegation of the Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, headed by Peteris Vaivars, Under-Secretary of State. |
|
13-14 June 2002 |
Visit to Latvia by Miguel Marin, the Mexican Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs for the first political consultations between Latvia and Mexico. |
|
12 September 2000 |
Meeting between Indulis Berzins, the Latvian Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Rosario Green, the Mexican Minister of Foreign Affairs, at the UN General Assembly in New York, USA. |
|
26-27 June 2000 |
Visit to Latvia by Juan Rebolledo Gout, the Mexican Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs for North American and European Affairs; meetings with a number of high-ranking officials. |
Information for travellers
http://www.am.gov.lv/en/service/4728/
Legal framework - Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Latvia and the Government of the United Mexican States on Co-operation in the Field of Education, Culture and Sport (signed on 15 April 2005);
- Additional Protocol to the Economic Partnership, Political Co-ordination and Co-operation Agreement between the European Community and its Member States, and the United Mexican States (signed on 29 April 2004);
- Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Latvia and the Government of the United Mexican States on the Implementation of the Agreement on Consular Assistance and Co-operation between the Government of the Republic of Latvia, the Government of the Republic of Estonia, and the Government of the Republic of Lithuania (signed on 10 July 2003);
- Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Latvia and the Government of the United Mexican States on the Abolition of Visas for Holders of Diplomatic and Service Passports (signed on 13 June 2002);
- Memorandum of Understanding between the Latvian and Mexican Ministries of Foreign Affairs on the Establishment of Consultation Mechanism regarding the Issues of Mutual Interest (signed on 27 June 2000).
Database of bilateral agreements signed between the Republic of Latvia and the United Mexican States
Contact information
Embassy of the Republic of Latvia in the United States
Address: 4325 Seventeenth Str., N.W. Washington, D.C. 20011, U.S.A.
Telephone: (1) 202 726 82 13, (1) 202 726 82 14
Fax: (1) 202 726 67 85
E-mail: embassy.usa@mfa.gov.lv; consulate.usa@mfa.gov.lv
Website: http://www.latvia-usa.org/
Beatrise Aboltina-Trueblood, Honorary Consul of Latvia to Mexico
Address: Paseo del Rio 120, Chimalistac, 01070 Mexico
Telephone: (52) 555 662 94 80
Fax: (52) 555 662 03 55
E-mail: sbtmex@mail.internet.com.mx
Embassy of the United Mexican States in the Kingdom of Sweden
Address: Grevgatan 3, 114 53 Stockholm, Sweden
Telephone: (46-8) 663 51 70, (46-8) 661 22 13 (Consular Division)
Fax: (46-8) 663 24 20
E-mail: embamex@algonet.se
Carlos Arredondo Martinez, Honorary Consul of Mexico to Latvia
Address: Silciema St. 5 - 10, LV 1024 Riga, Latvia
Telephone/fax: (371) 752 34 02
Mobile telephone: (371) 950 91 22
E-mail: carlosarredondo@compuserve.com
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