On 14 July 2021, the Acting State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Atis Lots, had meetings with the new non-resident Ambassadors of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Bounliep Houngvongsone, and the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ahmad Masoumifar, via video conferencing.

In a conversation with the Ambassador of Laos, both officials were in agreement concerning the need to promote political and economic relations and they commended ongoing cooperation in international and regional formats, including the upgrading of EU-ASEAN relations to the level of Strategic Partnership at the end of last year. The Ambassador informed the Acting State Secretary about the state of affairs with the COVID-19 pandemic and the pace of vaccination in Laos.

In a separate meeting taking place online, Atis Lots and the Ambassador of Iran discussed recent developments in bilateral relations and regional issues. This year sees 100 years since Iran recognised the state of Latvia de jure on 10 February 1921.

The Ambassadors reside in Stockholm, Sweden. Remote accreditation with the President of Latvia, Egils Levits, has been scheduled for 16 July.

Photos here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/latvianmfa/51309909252