The Under-Secretary of State – Political Director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ivars Lasis, meets with new foreign ambassadors

On 18 December 2025, the Under-Secretary of State – Political Director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), Ivars Lasis, received new foreign ambassadors who had arrived in Latvia for accreditation visits. 

Photo: Laura Celmiņa, Ministry of Foreign Affairs

During his meeting with the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Mongolia to Latvia, Oyundari Navaan-Yunden, Ivars Lasis expressed Latvia’s readiness to deepen bilateral cooperation with Mongolia in areas such as information and communication technologies, smart energy, and green technologies. With its strong experience in forestry and tree cultivation, Latvia can also be an important partner in Mongolia’s afforestation initiative, which aims to plant billions of trees by 2030.

The Ambassador informed that the Mongolian government is committed to promoting gender equality, protecting women’s rights and strengthening their role in society, and therefore emphasised Mongolia’s close cooperation with Latvia in the United Nations on women’s issues.

Both Latvia and Mongolia participate in UN peacekeeping missions, so the goal of future cooperation is to promote peace, security, and strengthen the international order-based system.

The Ambassador of Mongolia resides in Warsaw, Poland.

Photo: Laura Celmiņa, Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Ivars Lasis expressed satisfaction with the cooperation between Latvia and Indonesia to date to the new Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Indonesia to Latvia, Yayan Ganda Hayat Mulyana. At the same time, he emphasised Latvia’s desire to strengthen economic ties between the two countries and promote more active political dialogue, undertaking to hold political consultations between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs in 2026. The dynamics of relations between Indonesia and the EU to date were also welcomed. Ivars Lasis congratulated Indonesia on the successful conclusion of negotiations on a comprehensive economic partnership agreement.

The Ambassador of Indonesia called for strengthening economic cooperation between the two countries and exploring new formats for cooperation. Yayan Ganda Hayat Mulyana emphasised that Indonesia is ready to cooperate closely with Latvia during its term on the UN Security Council. In addition, the Ambassador noted that Indonesia welcomes Latvia’s involvement in the EU and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) cooperation format.

Ivars Lasis welcomed Indonesia’s support for Ukraine to date. He pointed out that Russia’s brutal war in Ukraine is not just a matter of European security – it also sets a dangerous precedent elsewhere, where policies of force and aggression may encourage authoritarian regimes to take similar action. At the same time, it was emphasised that on the path to a just and sustainable peace, Latvia, together with its allies, will continue to provide comprehensive support to Ukraine and exert all kinds of pressure on Russia.

The Ambassador of Indonesia resides in Stockholm, Sweden.

Photo: Laura Celmiņa, Ministry of Foreign Affairs

The Under-Secretary of State – Political Director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ivars Lasis, also met with the new Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg to Latvia, Peggy Frantzen. Latvia and Luxembourg share close cooperation both bilaterally and on European Union and NATO issues. The Political Director emphasised the productive cooperation in the defence sector, thanked Luxembourg for its participation in the Drone Coalition and for the co-financing granted for environmental clean-up works at military sites in Latvia and for the construction of barracks.

Ambassador Peggy Frantzen expressed her commitment to strengthening political dialogue between Latvia and Luxembourg, as well as promoting economic cooperation.

Further comprehensive support for Ukraine was discussed, including the need to agree on financial support through the Reparations Loan Facility. The officials agreed that work should continue to promote European security and defence and strengthen external borders.

The Ambassador of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg resides in Warsaw, Poland.

The accreditation ceremony for ambassadors with the President of Latvia, Edgars Rinkēvičs, will take place on 18 December.