On 24 May 2023 in Riga, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Edgars Rinkēvičs, met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia, Margus Tsakhna, who had arrived in Latvia on a working visit. The Foreign Ministers discussed a broad range of topics, including the bilateral relations between Latvia and Estonia, cooperation in international organisations, as well as the security situation in the region and support to Ukraine.
At the meeting, Edgars Rinkēvičs expressed satisfaction with very close and excellent relations existing between Latvia and Estonia. “In the current geopolitical climate, it is highly important to deepen relations between the closest allies, which Estonia undoubtedly is,” Minister Rinkēvičs emphasized.
The Latvian Foreign Minister accented the need to convene the Latvian-Estonian intergovernmental meetings more often, at least once a year. The Minister pointed out that the coming year would mark the fifteenth anniversary of the Languages Award bestowed by the Latvian and Estonian Ministries of Foreign Affairs, which plays an important role in promoting the Latvian and Estonian languages.
Edgars Rinkēvičs stated that energy and connectivity were the two most important sectors of cooperation between Latvia and Estonia. There is also potential to develop cooperation in the digital and defence sectors, as well as promoting mutually beneficial economic and investment cooperation in the fields of innovation, smart technologies, start-ups and tourism.
“More than ever before, we need to enhance regional cooperation, especially at the level of Nordic countries and the Baltic States, or NB8, in order to strengthen our resilience. Currently, the Baltic States need to continue their strategic coordination ahead of the upcoming NATO Vilnius Summit. Bilateral defence cooperation between Latvia and Estonia and cooperation within NATO have been fruitful and promoted our national security interests,” Edgars Rinkēvičs said.
