On 3 December 2021, the State Secretary of the Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Andris Pelšs, hosted accreditation visits from the Ambassadors of Lithuania, Japan, and North Korea.
Andris Pelšs and the Lithuanian Ambassador, Valdas Lastauskas, commended the close dialogue between the two countries and the active exchange of visits, and they underlined that cooperation between Latvia and Lithuania has a deep-rooted tradition. The officials also addressed current international policy developments, including the meeting of NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs just held in Riga. The State Secretary and the Ambassador were unanimous about keeping in close contact and coordinating their actions as regards the current situation at the European Union’s external border and events in Belarus and Ukraine. An agreement was reaffirmed on the need to work together in the Rail Baltica project and the synchronisation of the Baltic States’ electricity grids with the continental European network.
In a meeting with the Ambassador of Japan, Yasushi Takase, the parties commended cooperation between Latvia and Japan in politics, economy, culture and education, and they committed to further promotion of the exchange of high-level visits. The bilateral relations between Latvia and Japan have displayed positive dynamics in recent years, and the centenary of friendship between the two countries was celebrated earlier this year. The two countries have established active business contacts that offer further opportunities for cooperation projects in the areas of ICT, transport, logistics, and renewable energy.
Andris Pelšs underlined the high importance of not only bilateral but also regional cooperation, and he drew attention to the Three Seas Initiative. The State Secretary invited a high-ranking representative from Japan to take part in the Three Seas Initiative Summit and Business Forum to be held in Riga in June 2022. Andris Pelšs highlighted Latvia’s cooperation with Japan as a like-minded partner in the Indo-Pacific region, which is of high strategic importance. Ambassador Takase also made note of current successful cooperation in international organisations characterised by shared values and principles, including the understanding of democracy, human rights and the rule of law.
In a conversation with the Ambassador of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea), Ri Won Guk, the State Secretary underlined that 30 years ago Latvia became a United Nations member state, with North Korea and South Korea also joining the UN on the same date with Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania. Andris Pelšs noted that Latvia is prepared for a dialogue with North Korea as part of a broader-scale cooperation between the European Union and North Korea conditional on North Korea’s compliance with its international commitments. The State Secretary pledged Latvia’s support for peace and security efforts on the Korean Peninsula and called on North Korea to resume talks on nuclear disarmament.
Attention was also focused on the necessity to alleviate concerns among the international community related to the human rights situation in North Korea. The Ambassador affirmed readiness to strengthen the dialogue between Latvia and North Korea; he also said that exchange of visits is needed to promote understanding of the situation in both the countries. The Ambassador recognised that the EU should review its policy vis a vis North Korea. The Ambassador of North Korea resides in Stockholm, Sweden, and he is accredited to all the Nordic countries and Lithuania.
The accreditation of the Ambassadors with the President of Latvia, Egils Levits, has also been scheduled for 3 December 2021.