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On 18 August 2025, the State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Andžejs Viļumsons, received visits from the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Carl Jacobus Maria Peersman, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ireland, Marcella Smyth, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Swiss Confederation, Anja Zobrist Rentenaar, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Katherine Jane Leach, and the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of Sweden, Daniel Olsson.
Andžejs Viļumsons briefed the Ambassadors about current developments in Latvia’s foreign and domestic policy, while emphasizing Latvia’s security interests in the context of the Russian war in Ukraine. Economic cooperation between Latvia and the respective countries was also discussed.
In a meeting with the Netherlands Ambassador, Carl Peersman, Andžejs Viļumsons expressed gratitude for a significant contribution made by the Netherlands to the security of the Baltic region – participation in the Baltic Air Policing mission, the NATO enhanced Forward Presence in Lithuania, patrolling the Baltic Sea, as well as supporting the NATO Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence in Riga. He emphasized that the Netherlands is one of Latvia’s most important trading partners. The State Secretary and the Ambassador confirmed their determination to work on further fostering of cooperation, including in the field of ICT and 5G technologies, as well as renewable energy. Latvia and the Netherlands also cooperate closely in strengthening the rule of law and media freedom, and the Netherlands is among the most popular study destinations among Latvian youth.
In a conversation with the Irish Ambassador Marcella Smith, Andžejs Viļumsons highlighted the close relations and active political dialogue between Latvia and Ireland. The two countries are like-minded partners in the EU and other international organizations. The State Secretary expressed satisfaction with the close cooperation in science, culture and education, and he also emphasized the interest in strengthening economic relations. He welcomed both an increase in trade and Irish investments in Latvia. The Latvian diaspora plays a significant role in strengthening the ties between the two countries – Ireland is home to the third largest Latvian community in the world, which actively promotes Latvian culture, thereby facilitating people-to-people contacts.
In a meeting with the Swiss Ambassador Anja Zobrist-Rentenaar, the State Secretary emphasized Latvia’s interest in a continued active political dialogue with Switzerland, as well as developing cooperation in the fields of high technology and biomedicine. He voiced appreciation for the Embassy’s support in extending the display of an exhibition, “Rainis and Aspazija between Latvia and Switzerland”, in the Swiss city of Lugano until 2027. The connection of the two important Latvian literary figures with Switzerland is a good basis for strengthening cultural ties. Andžejs Viļumsons also thanked Switzerland for its support to Latvia, in particular, the Children’s Clinical University Hospital. In an exchange of views on the cooperation of the two countries with Ukraine, the Ambassador reaffirmed that Switzerland intends to continue providing considerable financial assistance to Ukraine in the coming years.
In a conversation with the Ambassador of the United Kingdom, Katherine Leach, the State Secretary confirmed that Latvia is interested in continuing an active political dialogue and exchange of visits. Andžejs Viļumsons thanked the United Kingdom for its active involvement in NATO’s enhanced forward presence on its eastern flank, highly appreciated the UK’s co-leadership in the Drone Coalition together with Latvia, as well as the leadership of the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF). He called for the full use of the cooperation potential in green and drone technologies. The officials discussed Latvia’s preparations for its term of elected membership of the UN Security Council. The British Ambassador congratulated Latvia on being elected to the UN Security Council, which will open new avenues for partnership between Latvia and the United Kingdom.
In a meeting with the Swedish Ambassador Daniel Olsson, the State Secretary expressed his gratitude for Sweden’s joining the NATO multinational brigade in Ādaži. He emphasized that Sweden is one of Latvia’s closest partners and allies, as evidenced by their active political dialogue – in 2025, senior Swedish officials of all levels visited Latvia. The State Secretary and the Ambassador agreed on the need to continue working on strengthening regional cooperation and security, which is the cornerstone of prosperity and development in the Baltic Sea region. They also expressed their commitment to developing successful cooperation in business, culture, tourism and education.
The Ambassadors’ accreditation ceremony with the President of Latvia, Edgars Rinkēvičs, is scheduled for 18 August.