Political consultations between Latvian and Indian foreign ministries will be held on 5 May in New Delhi, where talks are expected on the development of bilateral relations, and in particular, on economic co-operation and the establishment of a Latvia-India Inter-governmental Committee.
Foreign Minister Maris Riekstins on 7 May will take part in the 118th session of the Council of Europe (CoE) Committee of Ministers in Strasbourg, where ministers will consider ways to consolidate the CoE system of human rights protection. During the informal part of the discussion, the officials will debate the situation in south-eastern Europe.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Technical Assistance and Information Exchange unit (TAIEX) of the European Commission invite those interested to take part in a seminar to debate the practical aspects of the Treaty of Lisbon. The seminar will take place on 7 May in the Hotel Riga, at Aspazijas bulvaris 22.
The touring project Balticness, which is being organised by the Latvian presidency in the Council of the Baltic Sates (CBSS), will visit Vilnius from 7 to 9 May. The project features a photographic exhibition, a jazz concert, and a debate on a topic of significance in the Baltic Sea Region today.
Foreign Minister Maris Riekstins took part in the in the 118th session of the Council of Europe (CoE) Committee of Ministers on 7 May in Strasbourg.
On 5 May political consultations were held between the Latvian Foreign Ministry and the Indian Ministry of External Affairs. From the Latvian side, the consultations were led by Foreign Ministry State Secretary Normans Penke and from the Indian side, by Secretary Nalin Surie.
On 7 May in Riga, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and TAIEX (Technical Assistance and Information Exchange unit) of the European Commission's Directorate General for Enlargement held a seminar for high level experts on practical aspects of the implementation of the Treaty of Lisbon.
On 8 May the Latvian Ambassador to the U.S., Andrejs Pildegovics, presents his letter of credence to President Felipe Calderon of the United Mexican States, thus taking up office as the fourth non-resident Latvian Ambassador to Mexico.
Foreign Minister Maris Riekstins has expressed his satisfaction about the conclusion of the ratification process of the Treaty of Lisbon in the Saeima. In a final reading on 8 May, the Saeima of Latvia ratified the Treaty of Lisbon, which amends the Treaty on European Union and the Treaty establishing the European Community.
Foreign Minister Maris Riekstins on 9 May will meet with Temur Iakobashvili, the Georgian State Minister on Reintegration Issues, with the aim of discussing the present situation in Abkhazia and South Ossetia, the regions of Georgia.
On 9 May, Foreign Minister Maris Riekstins met with Temur Iakobashvili, the Georgian State Minister on Reintegration Issues.
In connection with Europe Day, the Foreign Ministry has prepared an electronic guide Darba iespejas Eiropas Savienibas institucijas (Job Opportunities in EU Institutions) to provide information to the public on work and career opportunities in EU institutions and also to encourage Latvian people to apply for the positions advertised.
The protection of rights and interests of Latvian residents in foreign countries is the most important task of Latvia's consular service. The consular service of Latvia provides assistance in cases where travel documents have been lost, or where the traveller abroad has been left without means for subsistence or for the return journey, as well as in the case of accident and arrest or conviction.
On 12 May, Foreign Minister Maris Riekstins together with Dmitrij Rupel, the Foreign Minister of Slovenia, which holds the presidency of the EU, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt, and Lithuanian Foreign Minister Petras Vaitiekunas during a visit to Georgia met with senior officials of the state: President Mikheil Saakashvili, Prime Minister Vladimer (Lado) Gurgenidze, and Foreign Minister Eka Tkeshelashvili.
The Foreign Ministry congratulates Serbia on 11 May parliamentary and municipal elections that took place peacefully and as a whole were conducted in line with international standards.
At the Cabinet of Ministers sitting of 13 May, the draft decree of the Cabinet of Ministers prepared by the Foreign Ministry On Aid Provision to the People of Burma/Myanmar for the Relief of Storm Damage was approved.
On 9 May, Latvia joined the group of countries supporting the UN Alliance of Civilizations, thus confirming its support for the facilitation of an intercultural dialogue and tolerance on a global scale.
Latvian Foreign Affairs Minister Maris Riekstins has sent a letter of condolences to Yang Jiechi, the Chinese Foreign Affairs Minister, in relation to the earthquake in Sichuan province.
On 13 May, the EU General Affairs and External Relations Council (GAERC) met in an extraordinary meeting where Normunds Popens, Permanent Representative of Latvia to the EU, also participated. The objective of the meeting was to assess topical issues related to the provision of aid to Burma/Myanmar in the wake of the devastating storm of 2 May.
On the invitation of Foreign Minister Maris Riekstins, Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Paet, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Petras Vaitiekunas, and German Federal Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, will arrive in Latvia to take part in political consultations on 20 May.
From 15 to 16 May, as a member of the delegation of the Latvian President, the Foreign Ministry Under-Secretary of State Edgars Skuja is taking part in the 5th EU, Latin America, and the Caribbean (LAC) Summit of Heads of State and Government in Lima, Peru. Mr Skuja will participate in a meeting at the level of foreign ministers, where the representatives of EU and LAC states will debate co-operation as part of an interregional dialogue on migration, combating drug trade, and regional integration.
On 15 May the Republic of Latvia established diplomatic relations with Barbados.
The Cabinet of Ministers has approved provision of funding for the project Support Programme for Province Administration for Afghanistan, which is co-financed by the European Commission (EC), as well as funding for relief of the damage caused by the war in Iraq, and for the support of civil society in Iraq.
Please register participation in advance with the Foreign Ministry Press Centre Division by telephone 67016272, before 12 pm on 20 May.
On 20 May 2008, the regular political consultations of Baltic and German ministers of foreign affairs to discuss current foreign policy developments were held in Riga at the invitation of Latvian Foreign Minister Maris Riekstins. Participating in the consultations were Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Paet, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Petras Vaitiekunas, and German Federal Foreign Minister Dr Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
On 21 May, Krzysztof Lisek, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Sejm of the Republic of Poland, will make an introductory visit to Foreign Minister Maris Riekstins with the aim of discussing development of political dialogue in Latvia-Poland relations.
On 20 May Baltic state foreign ministers will exchange views on an emerging strategy for the Baltic Sea Region, the progress of its elaboration, and expected priorities. The meeting will be attended by Colin Wolfe, Head of the Territorial Co-operation Unit of the Regional Policy Directorate-General of the European Commission (EC), which has been entrusted with the task of preparing the strategy.
On 22 May at 1 pm (Room 138), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will brief the media on what needs to be known when travelling abroad, and about the duties of Latvian consular officials and possibilities of helping Latvian residents abroad.
On 22 May Foreign Minister Maris Riekstins will meet with Igor Chudinov (Игорь Чудинов), Prime Minister of the Kyrgyz Republic, with the aim of considering bilateral relations, including the intensification of political dialogue and collaboration between institutions of both states.
On 21 May, an international solidarity event is taking place. Its objective is to attract attention and to voice support for the advocacy of human rights and fundamental freedoms in Cuba, as well as in other states of the world.
Foreign Minister Maris Riekstins on 21 May at meeting with Krzysztof Lisek, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Sejm of the Republic of Poland, examined the development of political dialogue in Latvia-Poland relations, current EU issues, including the implementation of the Treaty of Lisbon, and the forthcoming summit of the Council of the Baltic Sea States in Riga from 3 to 4 June.
On 22 May at 10 am, in Pils iela 21, results of the study Corruption Prevention in Public Administration in the Baltic Sea Region Countries will be presented. The study was conducted under the auspices of the Working Group of Democratic Institutions under the Latvian Presidency of the Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS).
On 22 May, during the official visit by Igor Chudinov, Prime Minister of the Kyrgyz Republic, a meeting with Foreign Minister Maris Riekstins took place. The ministers reviewed current bilateral co-operation and the possibilities for intensification of the political and economic dialogue.
Resulting from the collaboration and consultations between Latvian and French Foreign Ministries, a Political Declaration on Strategic Partnership between Latvia and France has been elaborated, which will serve as a basis for the further advance of relations.
On 26 May 2008, Minister of Foreign Affairs Maris Riekstins will participate in the EU General Affairs and External Relations Council (GAERC) meeting in Brussels. Meetings of the EU defence ministers and development co-operation ministers will also be held in parallel.
From 20 to 23 May, a delegation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs visited Kosovo and met with representatives of Kosovan institutions, to be briefed on the general situation in the state and to discuss the establishment of diplomatic relations.
Latvian Foreign Minister Maris Riekstins has sent a letter to Petras Vaitiekunas, the Foreign Minister of Lithuania, expressing his condolences to his Lithuanian counterpart and to the people of Lithuania with regard to the tragic death of a Lithuanian soldier in the Ghor province of Afghanistan on 22 May.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs commends the process of Georgian parliamentary elections, which showed improvements and an organisation that was more in line with international standards. During the course of the elections, compliance with national legislation was ensured and election procedures had been improved.
On 26 May in Brussels, the EU General Affairs and External Relations Council (GAERC) meeting took place, with the participation of Foreign Minister Maris Riekstins. Under the auspices of the GAERC, there was also an EU defence ministers meeting with the participation of the Latvian Defence Minister Vinets Veldre, as well as a development co-operation ministers meeting, with the Foreign Ministry's Under-Secretary of State Maija Manika representing Latvia.
Latvian Foreign Minister Maris Riekstins has sent a letter to his Estonian counterpart, Foreign Minister Urmas Paet, offering his deepest sympathies with regard to the death of a soldier of the Estonian Defence Forces, Ivar Brok, in a tragic accident in Afghanistan.
From 26 to 30 May, a delegation of experts from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security is on a working visit in Latvia.
On 27 May, Foreign Minister Maris Riekstins sent a congratulatory letter to Alexander Stubb, the Finnish Minister of Foreign Affairs, on the occasion of the 90th anniversary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland.
On 27 May 2008, the Third Secretary of The Americas and Caribbean States Division at the Latvian Foreign Ministry's Second Bilateral Relations Department, Rudolfs Bremanis, is heading to the NATO Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) in Maiman, Faryab province, to replace Peteris Veits, Latvia's previous political advisor in Afghanistan.
In Brussels on 27 May, under the aegis of the General Affairs and External Relations Council, the meeting of the EU development co-operations ministers continued, in which Latvia was represented by the Under-Secretary of State of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maija Manika.
From 20 to 24 May, a delegation from the Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs visited Kosovo to gain an insight into the situation there and to participate in the meeting of the International Steering Group for Kosovo, which was held in Pristina on 22 May. The delegation was headed by the Director of the European Union Department, Anda Orchard, and included Charge d'Affaires in Slovenia Juris Poikans, Head of the International Operations and Crisis Management Division, Zane Petre, and the Third Secretary of the EU Enlargement and Western Balkans Division, Andris Petersons.
On 28 May, consultations between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Latvia and Belarus were held in Riga. The Latvian delegation was headed by the Foreign Ministry's Under-Secretary of State, Edgars Skuja, and the Belarusian delegation by the Deputy Foreign Minister, Valery Voronecky.
On 2 June 2008, a round-table discussion Thinking Regionally, Acting Globally - Creating a Brand Image for the Baltic Sea will take place in Riga, at the Hansabanka building (1a Balasta dambis, 25th Floor) at 9.30 am
On 29 May, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Maris Riekstins addressed the International Iraq Compact Annual Review Conference in Stockholm, Sweden, and spoke about Latvia's contribution to the reconstruction of Iraq.
On 2 June 2008 at 4.00 pm, Minister of Foreign Affairs Maris Riekstins will open a photographic exhibition of the Balticness travelling project. The exhibition is entitled ..Where the Baltic Sea and people meet... and will be on show until 24 June.
On 29 May 2008, the Latvian Minister of Foreign Affairs met with Sweden's Development Co-operation Minister Gunilla Carlsson to discuss development co-operation prospects for the future. Both ministers talked about the contribution to the development of the EU's eastern neighbouring states and the financing of development co-operation.
Foreign Minister Maris Riekstins invites journalists to a press conference at the Foreign Ministry on 2 June at 12.00 about the current news and events in relation to the summit of the Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS), which is due to take place on 3 and 4 June in Riga.
The Foreign Ministry wishes to inform that EU citizens have the opportunity to apply for the traineeship programmes of 2009 organised by the Council of the EU.
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