On 13 September 2021, Latvia welcomed a visit from the Federal Minister of Austria for the EU and Constitution, Karoline Edstadler. She had a meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Edgars Rinkēvičs. The officials commended the close and friendly relations between the two countries, and they underlined that 2021 was a special year in the relation between the two countries as they mark the centenary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.
The Latvian Foreign Minister made note of the active bilateral cooperation highlighting potential for a deeper cooperation in science and the areas of new technologies such as smart cities, artificial intelligence, and medical technologies. Edgars Rinkēvičs also noted that Austria’s diplomatic representation in Latvia was of fundamental importance in bilateral relations, and he expressed hope that a full-time resident embassy could resume work in the future.
In a discussion on developments in Belarus, Edgars Rinkēvičs emphasised that the EU should continue actively declaring its position and increasing pressure in response to the ongoing repression against the civil society in Belarus and the situation on the EU’s external border.
The Austrian Federal Minister for the EU and Constitution will also meet with the Parliamentary Secretary, Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica, for a discussion on the EU’s climate policy goals, the course of the Conference on the Future of Europe and results to be achieved, as well as preparations for the Three Seas Initiative Summit due to take place in Riga in 2022.