On 26 January 2021, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Edgars Rinkēvičs, was on a working visit in France, where he met with the Minister of European and Foreign Affairs, Jean-Yves Le Drian; the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania, Gabrielius Landsbergis; and the Undersecretary for European Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia, Märt Volmer. The launch of a new tradition for Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Baltic States and France to meet in a “3+1” format is a symbolic event marking the centenary of Latvia’s international de jure recognition and the centenary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, and it sends a strong message of strategic partnership between the Baltic States and France.
During the meeting, the Ministers discussed the topics currently high on the European Union’s agenda, as well as exchanging views on security and defence policy issues, transatlantic relations, relations with Russia and China, and latest developments in Africa and the Middle East. Special attention was devoted to the human rights violations being committed in Russia related to the arrest of the opposition leader, Alexei Navalny, and the disproportionate use of force against peaceful demonstrators, as well as the situation in Belarus and Nagorno-Karabakh.
The officials discussed EU coordination in the fight against the pandemic and the vaccination strategy, as well as Economic Recovery Plans. Edgars Rinkēvičs maintained the position that in the formulation of national plans a close dialogue is needed with the European Commission. In a common dialogue, an optimal balance must be found between investments in long-term reforms and the urgent investments needed for economic recovery.
The Ministers of Foreign Affairs commended the excellent relations between the Baltic States and France, they committed to continuing the active political dialogue and strengthening cooperation on EU-related matters and security through partnership. The Baltic States and France want to see a stronger and more united EU, with an increasing global role. Edgars Rinkēvičs underlined that the EU should continue enhancing its resilience and capacity to respond in crisis situations, as well as further developing its civil and military capabilities.
The Baltic States and France will continue close cooperation for the benefit of European and transatlantic security as well as promoting international peace and security. The Latvian Foreign Minister thanked France for its active participation in the measures being taken for the strengthening collective defence in the Baltic Region.
The President of France, Emmanuel Macron, during his official visit to Latvia on 29–30 September 2020 expressed his support for the establishment of the “3+1” format for regular meetings between the Foreign Ministers of the Baltic States and France and for holding talks on 26 January this year. These were the first talks in such a format.
During his visit to France, Edgars Rinkēvičs met with the OECD Secretary-General, Angel Gurría, and thanked the Secretary-General for his personal contribution and support to Latvia both during the accession process and in ongoing cooperating with the OECD in the status of a member. The 60th anniversary of the OECD will be celebrated this year, while Latvia marks five years of its membership in the organisation.
The Foreign Minister highlighted the role of Angel Gurría in raising the organisation’s visibility internationally and expanding its activities. Angel Gurría has been at the helm of the OECD since 2006 and will leave his post this coming 31 May. During the meeting, the officials discussed the organisation’s work under the conditions of the COVID-19 crisis, and shared views on recent OECD initiatives towards sustainable economic recovery.
In a meeting with the UNESCO Director-General, Audrey Azoulay, the Foreign Minister praised close cooperation between Latvia and UNESCO over the 30 years since Latvia joined the organisation. The Minister expressed appreciation for how the UNESCO Director-General had sent her greetings to Aina Nagobads-Ābols, Latvia’s first Ambassador to UNESCO, on her 100th birthday. The Minister and Director-General discussed Latvia’s contributions to the areas of media and information literacy, protection of media freedom, and fighting disinformation, as well as current UNESCO initiatives in science and culture.