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During her working visit to Germany, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Baiba Braže, meet with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Germany, Dr Johann Wadephul, for a discussion on the security situation in the Baltic Sea region, bilateral cooperation and the deepening of economic cooperation, as well as the NATO Summit in The Hague coming up next week (24–25 June).
Baiba Braže also met with other senior officials – the First Mayor of Hamburg, Dr Peter Tschentscher, the Prime Minister of Schleswig-Holstein, Daniel Günther, and the Minister for Economics, Transport, Labour, Technology and Tourism of Schleswig-Holstein, Claus Ruhe Madsen.
SECURITY
Latvian and German Foreign Ministers agreed on strong support for Ukraine and the need to develop the European defence industry more rapidly, strengthen regional cooperation in the Baltic Sea, and the European and NATO capabilities. Officials discussed strengthening future sanctions against Russia.
Baiba Braže invited Dr Johann Wadephul to come to Latvia for a working visit, and the invitation was accepted. Baiba Braže thanked Germany for its contribution to Latvia’s and Baltic security: “Latvia and Germany are close Allies in NATO. We appreciate Germany’s active involvement in strengthening the NATO eastern flank by leading the multinational brigade in Lithuania, as well as engaging regularly in NATO Air Policing mission in the Baltic states and NATO exercises in our region. Germany is an indispensable NATO Ally across the Baltic Sea region, and Germany’s leadership is crucial to strengthening Europe’s and transatlantic security.”
Foreign Minister Braže delivered a keynote speech at the Kiel Security Conference. Its focus was placed on Europe’s defence capabilities, Russia’s threat to the entire transatlantic space, and the security of the Baltic Sea region.
Foreign Minister Baiba Braže engaged in a conversation wiyh the Chief of Defence of Germany, General Carsten Breuer, on the strengthening of NATO deterrence and defence, security challenges, and further cooperation between Latvia and Germany.
ECONOMY
Germany is the second most important cooperation partner to Latvia in foreign trade, and German investments in Latvia have increased. Exports of Latvian services to Germany grew by 5.5% in 2024 compared to 2023. The two Foreign Ministers discussed the ways to deepen economic contacts between Latvia and Germany, especially in areas with a high potential for cooperation and investment – innovative technologies, biomedicine, ICT, renewable energy resources, as well as defence industry.
With the First Mayor of Hamburg, Dr Peter Tschentscher, the Minister exchanged views on the close cooperation between Latvia and Hamburg in the digitalisation of ports and in maritime technologies. A milestone event in economic cooperation is a memorandum signed this week, 19 June, between the LMT, the free Port of Riga, the Port of Hamburg, SIA Elektroniskie sakari, the Hamburg fleet, and LVR Flote, a company of the Riga Free Port Authority with the aim of promoting port cooperation, digital innovations and resilience in the Baltic Sea region.
Baiba Braže had a discussion with the Prime Minister of Schleswig-Holstein, Daniel Günther, and businesspeople from Schleswig-Holstein on the increasing German investments in Latvia, especially in the fields of innovation, ICT and renewable energy. Representatives from a Schleswig-Holstein company, H. & J. Brüggen KG, who acquired 50% of the shares of AS Rīgas Dzirnavnieks in 2024, shared their positive experience of investing in Latvia.
While in Berlin, Baiba Braže spoke in a high-level panel discussion on the strengthening of the European and NATO security hosted by The Financial Times.
The Foreign Minister’s working visit to Germany (Berlin, Hamburg, Ķiel) took place from 18 to 20 June 2025.