On 29 September 2020, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Latvia to the Council of Europe, Jānis Kārkliņš, presented credentials to the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Marija Pejčinović Burić.
During their meeting, the Ambassador and the Secretary General discussed current challenges to the Council of Europe in the field of democracy, human rights and the rule of law in Europe, especially in the context of the COVID-19 crisis. Jānis Kārkliņš pledged Latvia’s continued support for the Council of Europe’s values and commitments to be upheld by all member states.
The officials discussed the situation with human rights and respecting them in the context of modern technologies and artificial intelligence, which poses new challenges to human rights protection. They also shared views on latest developments in Belarus. At the conclusion of the discussion, they exchanged views on Latvia’s chairmanship of the Council of Europe in 2023.
Ambassador Kārkliņš began his career with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1992. Jānis Kārkliņš has been posted as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Latvia to France and the United Nations in Geneva, and served also as non-resident Ambassador of Latvia to Monaco, Andorra, and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).