On 6 January 2020, the State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Andris Pelšs, met with the Ambassador of the Republic of the Philippines, Leah M. Basinang-Ruiz, who is in Latvia on an accreditation visit.
Andris Pelšs expressed satisfaction with the development of the bilateral relations between Latvia and the Philippines and pledged support for the EU-Philippine dialogue. He noted that economic relations between Latvia and the Philippines have a potential that could be developed especially in the services sector, with an emphasis on information and communication technologies. The State Secretary also underlined the need for signing an agreement on the avoidance of double taxation in order to promote business contacts between the two countries.
The officials welcomed the intensification of the political dialogue between Latvia and the Philippines. On 16 December last year, at the meeting between the Latvian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Edgars Rinkēvičs, and the Secretary of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines, Teodoro Locsin, during the ASEM Foreign Ministers Meeting in Madrid, a proposal to establish a bilateral mechanism for political consultations between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs was considered.
The Ambassador presented a copy of her letter of credence at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the accreditation ceremony with the President of Latvia, Egils Levits, is scheduled to take place on 7 January.