On 22 August 2022, in the official residence of the President of Germany at Schloss Bellevue in Berlin, Ambassador Alda Vanaga presented her credentials to the Federal President of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, thereby assuming the post of the new Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Latvia to the Federal Republic of Germany.
“The priorities of my new posting will be to build closer cooperation in the areas of security, economy and energy independence, which have become especially important after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine,” the Ambassador underlined.
Germany is Latvia’s second largest import partner and its third major export market. The Latvian-German relations are characterised by an active exchange of visits between officials, dynamic economic cooperation, regular inter-parliamentary contacts, and close cooperation with federal lands and between various institutions. Latvia and Germany traditionally have close economic and cultural links.
Alda Vanaga began her diplomatic career with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1992. During her career, she has held various posts, including those of the Ambassador of Latvia to Denmark and Portugal, and non-resident Ambassador to Brazil. She has also headed the European Union Co-ordination and Policies Department and the Consular Department, and served as Under-Secretary of State – Administrative Director.
Alda Vanaga holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Latvia, Faculty of Law. The Ambassador speaks German, English, French, Russian and Portuguese.
In the present ambassadorial posting, Alda Vanaga succeeds Inga Skujiņa, who had been Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Germany since 2017.