|
On 3 July, Foreign Minister Maris Riekstins, at the opening of the fourth meeting of Latvia's Honorary Consuls, expressed his gratitude to the Honorary Consuls for their contribution to the advancement of bilateral relations and the strengthening of economic contacts.
In his address to the consuls, Foreign Minister informed about current developments in Latvia's foreign policy, and, inter alia, expressed his opinion about the completion of the ratification process of the Lisbon Treaty following the Irish referendum. The minister also spoke about the priorities of the EU French Presidency, as well as Latvia's contribution to peacekeeping in the world within the NATO framework, including the promotion of reforms in Afghanistan.
When speaking about co-operation in the Baltic Sea region, Minister Riekstins noted the role of Nordic countries as significant trade partners and investors for Latvia, as well as that of Germany and Poland as key partners with a common vision on the region's development. With regard to Russia, the Foreign Minister emphasised the recent high-level political dialogue which resulted in the signing of the Latvia-Russia border treaty last year, and the preparation of other significant inter-governmental agreements.
The Foreign Minister also informed about topical issues of co-operation with Latvia's priority countries within the European Neighbourhood Policy: Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova. He highlighted the recent visit by President Valdis Zatlers to Ukraine, and the successful business forum organised as part of the visit.
Minister Riekstins expressed his gratitude to the Honorary Consuls of Latvia in the U.S. and Canada for their contribution to the promotion of economic co-operation and their support for the Latvian diaspora in those countries. Likewise, the Foreign Minister noted that it is in Latvia's interests to expand co-operation with countries which have an increasingly more important role in the regions of Asia and the Far East.
The Foreign Minister informed the Honorary Consuls about the activities planned by Latvia's foreign service in the near future – the opening of Latvian embassies in Hungary on 7 July and in Egypt at the end of the year, as well as the Foreign Minister's intended working visit to Kosovo next week.
At the conclusion of his address, Minister Riekstins encouraged the Honorary Consuls to come forward with proposals on the creation of new co-operation opportunities. "You can be not only a valuable source of information, but a driving force," the Foreign Minister indicated.
At the event, Maris Riekstins presented the Certificate of Recognition of the Foreign Ministry to Robert Rydingstam, Honorary Consul of Latvia in Gothenburg, Sweden, as the longest-serving Honorary Consul, for raising the profile of Latvia in Sweden and in the Nordic region as a whole.
The fourth conference of Latvia's Honorary Consuls takes place on 3 and 4 July, gathering together 82 Honorary Consuls from 43 countries. In total, Latvia has 130 Honorary Consuls in various countries all over the world.
(end of text)
|
