On 13 October 2021 in Canberra, an accreditation ceremony took place for the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Latvia to the Commonwealth of Australia, Marģers Krams.
In an official ceremony held online, the Ambassador presented his credentials to the Governor-General of Australia, David Hurley, and offered him greetings from the President of Latvia, Egils Levits.
In a conversation with the Governor-General, Marģers Krams underlined that the shared values of the two countries are based on democracy, human rights, and the rule of law. Latvia and Australia highly value an effective multilateralism and a rules-based international order, the Ambassador said. He noted that Latvia’s diplomatic presence in Canberra would help develop common areas of cooperation with the aim of advancement our interests in international organisations.
Marģers Krams pointed out that regardless of both countries being distant in geographical terms, Latvia and Australia are linked by a common understanding of values and similar opinions on the opportunities and challenges of the contemporary world. The Ambassador welcomed Australia’s firm support for a resolution initiated by Latvia at the United Nations concerning the fight against disinformation and the spread of misinformation.
During the conversation, Marģers Krams noted in particular the active and numerous Latvian community in Australia, which is an integral part of Latvia’s society and has provided a significant contribution to preservation and restoration of Latvia’s statehood. “All these years, Latvians in Australia have spared no effort to keep the Latvian language, culture and traditions alive and to build and strengthen cooperation between Latvia and Australia,” the Ambassador underlined.
Australia became home for a considerable number of Latvians in the wake of World War II, which today is reflected in an active diaspora over 20,000 strong. Its main organisation is the Latvian Federation in Australia and New Zealand, which brings together more than 40 Latvian organisations, communities, congregations and centres, and their vibrant social life contributes to fostering and preserving Latvian identity.
The Ambassador thanked for support provided by the Australian government for the establishment of the Embassy, and he said with confidence that the opening of the mission would help foster political, economic and cultural cooperation between Latvia and Australia.
Until now, Latvia’s interests in Australia had been represented by the Ambassador of Latvia to Japan, Dace Treija-Masī, who was performing her duties of non-resident Ambassador since 2017.