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On 19 May 2026, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Baiba Braže, welcomed the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada, Anita Anand, on a working visit to Riga. During the meeting, the Ministers reaffirmed close and strategically significant partnership between Latvia and Canada, with particular emphasis on cooperation in security and defence, economic ties and Allied unity.
Foreign Minister Baiba Braže expressed gratitude to Canada for its long-standing contribution to the security of Latvia and the Baltic region, particularly highlighting Canada’s leadership of the NATO Multinational Brigade in Latvia.
“Today’s security environment requires close and practical long-term cooperation among Allies. Latvia highly values Canada’s contribution to the security of our region and sees significant potential for further strengthening cooperation between our two countries,” Foreign Minister Baiba Braže emphasised.
The Ministers discussed expanding cooperation between Latvia and Canada in the fields of security and defence, as well as the potential for economic cooperation. Particular attention was paid to cooperation in the areas of cybersecurity, critical infrastructure resilience, and new technologies, as well as among enterprises in the defence industry.
The Ministers agreed on the need to continue providing long-term support to Ukraine and to maintain coordinated international pressure on Russia. Latvia highly values Canada’s contribution to supporting Ukraine, which has already exceeded CAD 25.5 billion in total, as well as Canada’s active involvement in NATO, the G7, and other multilateral formats. Canada’s leadership on sanctions policy was also particularly highlighted – Canada has imposed sanctions on more than 3,400 individuals and organisations, as well as on more than 600 vessels linked to Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet”.
The Ministers also welcomed the active cooperation between the European Union and Canada in the areas of security, the economy, and trade, including opportunities to expand practical cooperation within the framework of European security initiatives. Trade between Latvia and Canada has grown by 18% in 2025, while the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) between the European Union and Canada continues to foster economic cooperation between the two parties. Since the provisional application of the agreement began, trade in goods between the European Union and Canada has increased by approximately 75%, while trade in services has increased by 97%. Opportunities to strengthen cooperation in high technology, data centres, 5G, drones, energy, and other innovative solutions were also discussed.
Both Ministers visited the Canadian-led NATO Multinational Brigade at Camp Labrie military base in Ceri, Mārupe Municipality, where they met with soldiers of the brigade. During the visit, the Foreign Ministers also laid flowers at the Freedom Monument.
On 20 May, Baiba Braže will participate in a joint “3+1” meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the Baltic States and Canada in Tallinn, aimed at further strengthening the Baltic states’ dialogue with Canada and discussing current international issues ahead of the upcoming meeting of NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs in Sweden on 21 and 22 May.
