Consultations between the foreign ministries of Latvia and Israel [22 Jun 2005]

On 21 June 2005, economic and political consultations were held between Latvia and Israel.

Israel's delegation was headed by the Deputy Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the State of Israel, Mark Sofer. In the talks on economic issues, the Latvian delegation was headed by the Under-Secretary of State of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maija Manika, and at the meeting on political issues - by the Under-Secretary of State of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ilgvars Klava.

On the political matters, the parties exchanged opinions on the current issues of bilateral cooperation, as well as on the current multilateral cooperation and regional issues.

Israel's delegation explicated the situation in the Middle East Peace Process. On 14 August 2005, the implementation of the withdrawal plan of Jewish settlers from the Gaza Strip and partly from the Western coast of Jordan will be commenced and might last for about six weeks. The Israeli officials emphasized their commitment to the goal determined by the strategic "Road Map" - coexistence of the independent states of Israel and Palestine.

Discussions at the talks included also issues related to the UN reform, cooperation in international organisations, relations with Russia, regional security, and cooperation within the Barcelona process.

Both sides agreed on the further development of the contractual basis for bilateral cooperation, exchange of visits, and cooperation in the Holocaust remembrance and education projects. 

After Latvia joined the European Union, the economic relations between both countries have developed successfully, and further steps are required to expand the cooperation both at the bilateral level and in the EU context.

Directions of cooperation between Latvia and Israel and signing of a cooperation memorandum between Latvia and Israel's IT associations in the near future were also discussed. Another topic was Latvia's possible participation in Israeli Prime Minister's Conference in autumn 2005 and in the AGRITECH exhibition in 2006.

The parties agreed that the potential for economic cooperation between both countries has not been exhausted and expressed their readiness to continue work in order to improve cooperation between both countries.

During the visit, Israel's delegation met with the State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Normans Penke; President's Foreign Affairs Adviser, Andrejs Pildegovics; the Chairman of the Saeima Foreign Affairs Committee, Vaira Paegle; and representatives of Latvia-Israel parliamentary cooperation group.  

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