On 21 October 2026, Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dace Melbārde met with Yasushi Masaki, Deputy Secretary-General of the OECD, who, at the invitation of the Latvian side, took part in the opening discussion of the Techritory 2026 forum, entitled “Economic Development through Digitalisation and Connectivity”.
The discussion covered a range of topics, including Latvia’s cooperation with the OECD, the OECD’s contribution to developing standards for digitalisation and artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, the OECD’s global role and enlargement, as well as current issues in development cooperation and support for Ukraine.
The officials agreed on the need to discuss both the opportunities offered by artificial intelligence and the challenges it poses across various sectors, including education and the social sphere. Dace Melbārde praised the standards developed by the OECD in the fields of artificial intelligence and quantum policy. Latvia has strong scientific and research capabilities and demonstrates world-class achievements; it is therefore beneficial for Latvia to cooperate with the OECD. In quantum science, the most pressing priority is the establishment of the Centre for Quantum Excellence and Competence of Latvia. Yasushi Masaki expressed the OECD’s interest in collaborating with both scientists and researchers and the private sector.
Latvia has maintained successful cooperation with the OECD over the past decade, since joining the organisation on 1 July 2016. The Parliamentary Secretary also highlighted the analysis and recommendations provided by OECD experts in this year’s Economic Survey regarding the reforms needed to support the country’s economic growth.
Dace Melbārde: “Successful reforms play a crucial role both in fostering society’s trust in public administration and in ensuring the resilience of democracy.” Regional development is also an important issue for Latvia, including the growth of the Latgale region, given that Russia’s full-scale war in Ukraine has intensified the need to provide economic and social support to Latvia’s border regions.
During the discussion, the Parliamentary Secretary emphasised Latvia’s commitment to development cooperation. Latvia joined the OECD Development Assistance Committee in 2025 and is ready to share its experience in digital public services, e-government, cyber security and digital tools.
Dace Melbārde praised the OECD–Ukraine Country Programme, which supports Ukraine in implementing public policy and public administration reforms. These reforms will help Ukraine advance towards membership of both the EU and the OECD. Latvia supports Ukraine’s accession to the OECD. Yasushi Masaki highly appreciated Latvia’s contribution and support for Ukraine.
The officials also agreed that the OECD can contribute significantly to the ongoing discussions on economic security and critical mineral supply chains, given the OECD’s experience in data collection, analysis and monitoring.
During his visit, Yasushi Masaki also met with officials from the Ministry of Smart Administration and Regional Development, as well as representatives from the University of Latvia and the Latvian companies Tet and Tilde.
For the ninth year, the Techritory forum has brought together leading experts, entrepreneurs, policymakers, representatives from academia and other leaders from the innovation and technology sectors.
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