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PRESS RELEASES
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Latvia to build a police station in Afghanistan [15 Oct 2008]
On 15 October in Maymana, the capital of the Faryab province of Afghanistan, Rudolfs Bremanis, the Latvian Special Representative to Afghanistan and Political and Development Advisor of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, signed an agreement with the Etehad Rehabilitation and Development Organization (ERDO) on the allocation of funds and the execution of works with regard to the first Latvian assistance project for the strengthening of the Afghan police sector.
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Foreign Minister Maris Riekstins to take part in European Council meeting [15 Oct 2008]
On 15 and 16 October, Foreign Minister Maris Riekstins will take part in the meeting of the European Council. The Latvian delegation will be headed by Prime Minister Ivars Godmanis.
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At GAERC meeting, EU foreign affairs ministers prepare for European Council and discuss situation in Georgia [13 Oct 2008]
On 13 October in Luxembourg, Foreign Minister Maris Riekstins took part in the meeting of the EU General Affairs and External Relations Council (GAERC). It focused upon the preparation of the next meeting of the EU Heads of Sate and Government – the European Council in Brussels on 15 and 16 October, and also on issues related to the situation in Georgia.
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Foreign Minister Riekstins discusses relations between Russia and the West in U.S. [13 Oct 2008]
On 10 October Foreign Minister Maris Riekstins took part in a foreign policy expert discussion, held by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), on relations between Russia and the West and their prospects. The debate was led by Julianne Smith, the Director of the CSIS Europe Program.
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Foreign Minister Maris Riekstins invites non-governmental and academic organisations from U.S. to take part in Riga Conference [11 Oct 2008]
At the conclusion of his working visit to the United States, Foreign Minister Maris Riekstins met with the President of the German Marshall Fund of the United States, Craig Kennedy, with the aim of discussing the successful long-term co-operation between Latvia and the fund, manifested by Latvia's support to the annual Brussels Forum and by the involvement of the fund in the organisation of the Riga Conference.
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Foreign Minister to take part in meeting of General Affairs and External Relations Council [10 Oct 2008]
On 13 October Foreign Minister Maris Riekstins will take part in the meeting of the General Affairs and External Relations Council (GAERC) in Luxembourg.
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Foreign Minister of Latvia meets with foreign policy advisors to U.S. presidential candidates from Democratic and Republican parties [10 Oct 2008]
During a working visit to the U.S., the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Maris Riekstins met with Philip H. Gordon, foreign policy advisor to the United States presidential candidate from the Democratic Party, Barrack Obama, and also with Randy Scheunemann and Kori Schake, advisors to the presidential candidate from the Republican Party, John McCain.
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Latvian Foreign Minister and U.S. Secretary of State highlight significance of transatlantic co-operation on vital foreign policy issues [09 Oct 2008]
On 9 October, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Maris Riekstins, met with Condoleezza Rice, United States Secretary of State. During the meeting, transatlantic co-operation was reviewed in the context of international foreign policy and current security policy developments. The parties also discussed issues of bilateral co-operation between Latvia and the U.S., and noted the progress towards Latvia's admission to the U.S. Visa Waiver Program as well.
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Foreign Minister Maris Riekstins to meet with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice [08 Oct 2008]
In Washington on 9 October, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Maris Riekstins, in the course of his working visit to the U.S. will meet with Condoleezza Rice, United States Secretary of State. During the meeting it is intended to review the development of Latvia – U.S. bilateral relations, the issues in connection with to the neighbourhood policy of Europe, and also further practical steps for Latvia's admission to the U.S. Visa Waiver Programme.
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Latvia has considerably reduced visa refusal rate [08 Oct 2008]
The US visas refusal rate for residents of Latvia is 8.3% this year, according to the information supplied by the U.S. Department of State and aggregated from 1 October 2007 to 30 September 2008. The visa refusal rate has considerably decreased in comparison with the respective time period last year.
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Foreign Minister extends condolences to people of Kyrgyzstan with regard to earthquake victims [07 Oct 2008]
Minister for Foreign Affairs Māris Riekstiņš has sent a letter of condolence to Erdan Karabayev, the Kyrgyz Foreign Minister, in relation to the earthquake which struck southern Kyrgyzstan on 5 October.
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Foreign Minister Maris Riekstins condemns attack on Turkish soldiers [07 Oct 2008]
The Minister of Foreign Affairs has expressed his deepest sympathy to the people of Turkey in relation to Kurdistan Worker's Party (PKK) terrorist attack, on 3 October, on a Turkish military outpost in southeastern Turkey near the Iraqi border, in which 15 Turkish soldiers have died.
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Foreign Minister Riekstins emphasises the importance of Georgia's territorial integrity in discussions by international community to Danish parliamentary delegation [06 Oct 2008]
On 6 October, during the visit by the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Danish Parliament (Folketing) to Latvia, a meeting took place with Foreign Minister Maris Riekstins to exchange views on current events of international politics including the situation in Georgia and the involvement of the European Union in resolving the conflict.
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Foreign Minister Maris Riekstins to meet with Danish Parliament Foreign Affairs Committee delegation [03 Oct 2008]
On 6 October, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Maris Riekstins, will meet with the delegation of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Folketing, the Parliament of Denmark. The delegation will be on a visit from 5 to 6 October at the invitation of Andris Berzins, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Saeima.
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Foreign Minister Maris Riekstins to visit U.S. [02 Oct 2008]
Foreign Minister Maris Riekstins will undertake a working visit to Washington, U.S., on 8 - 11 October.
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Call for applications closed for Foreign Ministry grant project competition [02 Oct 2008]
On 30 September, the call for applications was closed for the grant project competition Support for Development Co-operation Projects in the Recipient Countries as Defined by the Republic of Latvia announced by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. As the rules of the competition envisaged the possibility of sending applications by post, the last applications were received at the Foreign Ministry on 2 October.
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Foreign Ministry Political Director discusses current international politics at e-PINE consultations in Vilnius [02 Oct 2008]
On 2 October 2008, the Enhanced Partnership in Northern Europe (e-PINE) consultations open in Vilnius, Lithuania, in which the Latvian delegation is being headed by the Foreign Ministry's Political Director Peteris Ustubs.
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Communication by Foreign Ministry of Latvia on parliamentary elections in Belarus [02 Oct 2008]
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on basis of the preliminary statement by the international observer mission of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, considers that, in comparison to the parliamentary elections of 2004 and 2006, certain improvements have been observed in the process of the 28 September parliamentary elections in Belarus.
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State Secretary Normans Penke and Director General of Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons discuss the role of Chemical Weapons Convention in promotion of global security [01 Oct 2008]
On 30 September 2008, State Secretary Normans Penke met with the Director General of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), Rogelio Pfirter, who was in Latvia on a working visit. At the meeting, the importance of the Chemical Weapons Convention as an essential component of the disarmament and non-proliferation effort was acknowledged, emphasizing the role of the OPCW in promoting global security.
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Māris Riekstiņš to take part in Baltic and Benelux foreign minister meeting in Estonia [30 Sep 2008]
On 1-2 October Minister for Foreign Affairs Māris Riekstiņš will participate in a meeting of foreign ministers of the Baltic and Benelux states ("3+3") in Estonia. This will be the second "3+3" encounter at the level of foreign ministers aimed at continuing co-operation between Baltic and Benelux states at regional and EU level.
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