On 19 November 2024, at Villa Brasini in Rome, a festive reception was held to celebrate the 106th anniversary of the proclamation of the Republic of Latvia, bringing together Italian officials, parliamentarians, representatives of the diplomatic and consular corps and cooperation partners. The celebratory event was opened by the Ambassador of Latvia to Italy, Elita Gavele, and the Vice-Minister of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Edmondo Cirielli.
At the opening of the event, Elita Gavele emphasized the importance of the founding of the Latvian state 106 years ago and the fight for freedom both before the declaration of statehood and after the restoration of independence. That is why Latvia understands Ukraine and provides it with all possible assistance. The Ambassador informed those present about Latvia’s current support to Ukraine and the Government’s decision to channel 0.25% of GDP towards military support by 2026, while emphasizing that Latvia also helps Ukraine in other ways, including its reconstruction.
In her speech, the Ambassador highlighted Latvia’s priorities for the coming year, in particular, Latvia’s candidacy in the 2025 elections to United Nations Security Council for the membership term of 2026-2027. This being the first time Latvia is standing as a candidate, Ambassador Elita Gavele emphasized:
“We are ready to take on the role and contribute to strengthening international peace and security by implementing the campaign motto, “Together for peace and resilience!”.
At the same time, the Ambassador outlined Latvia’s thematic priorities – the rule of law and democracy; women's rights; solutions for security, sustainability and development.
In his speech, Vice-Minister Edmondo Cirielli highlighted the bilateral cooperation between Italy and Latvia, as part of which, the official visit of the President of Latvia Edgars Rinkēvičs to Italy this past May has given an important impulse to the strengthening of the political dialogue. At the same time, Vice-Minister Cirielli emphasized the support provided by Italy in strengthening the security of the Baltic region – Italy’s participation in both the NATO Baltic Airspace Policing mission and the Multinational Brigade in Ādaži.
The event was implemented as part of the public diplomacy programme in support of the lobby campaign of Latvia’s candidacy for the United Nations Security Council. The campaign under the motto of “Together for peace and resilience” aims at ensuring successful election of Latvia to the United Nations Security Council for the 2026–2027 term in the 2025 election, at which Latvia is running for an elected member’s seat for the first time. Membership of the UNSC will be a key instrument in pursuit and protection of Latvia’s foreign policy interests, as well as making it possible for Latvia to expand the scale of its international cooperation and thereby contributing to world peace and resilience.
