On 19 May 2023, the Latvian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Edgars Rinkēvičs met with the non-resident Ambassadors of Argentina, the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, and Portugal in Riga to express Latvia’s support for the strengthening of relations between the European Union (EU) and the Latin American and Caribbean countries (LAC).
In the ensuing conversation, the Foreign Minister stressed that the Latin American and Caribbean countries were like-minded partners in the EU. The Foreign Minister expressed his support for the strengthening of EU-LAC relations, in particular, during the forthcoming Spanish Presidency of the Council of the EU in the second half of this year.
This coming 17-18 July, Brussels will host the Summit of the EU and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC). Edgars Rinkēvičs expressed hope that the event would provide a meaningful impetus for strengthening cooperation between the two regions. The Minister confirmed that the agenda of the EU-CELAC Summit as concerns development of trade and investment, including in the high-tech and digital sectors, was in line with Latvia’s vision.
Edgars Rinkēvičs called on the Latin American and Caribbean Ambassadors to consider the idea of opening an embassy in Riga, which would help build more active bilateral and multilateral contacts with countries in the Latin American and Caribbean region.
The meeting was organised by the Ambassador of Spain to Latvia in preparation for the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the EU.