On 18 February 2023, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Latvia, Edgars Rinkēvičs, met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan, Yoshimasa Hayashi. The meeting took place in the framework of the Munich Security Conference.
During the meeting, the Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkēvičs underlined Latvia’s interest in deepening bilateral relations, economic cooperation in particular. “We are interested in continuing the exchange of high-level visits, expanding military cooperation and cooperation in the field of strategic communications. We also invite Japan to continue making investment in Latvia, especially in the energy, infrastructure and high technology sectors,” said Edgars Rinkēvičs.
The Latvian Foreign Minister also thanked Japan for its strong support to Ukraine, which includes joining countries that have applied to the International Criminal Court with regard to investigation into war crimes in Ukraine. The Minister noted that it was crucial to continue efforts in international organisations in support of Ukraine and to ensure Russia’s accountability for aggression against Ukraine.
Edgars Rinkēvičs also heard out the evaluation concerning the state of play in Indo-Pacific region offered by the Foreign Minister of Japan and welcomed Japan’s new National Security Strategy.