On 25 January 2022, the Head of the Bilateral Relations Directorate at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nils Jansons, met with the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United Arab Emirates to Latvia, Hanan Khalfan Obaid Ali Al Madhani.
During the meeting, the officials discussed current bilateral relations, including a visit by the President of Latvia to the UAE two months ago in order to participate in the events of the Latvian National Day at the Expo 2020 Dubai world fair. Further plans were also mapped out for the strengthening of bilateral relations in the context of exchange visits and the expansion of the legal framework. Nils Jansons and the UAE Ambassador then exchanged views on latest developments in the Middle East, especially in the Persian Gulf, and on current events in the Baltic Sea region.
The Head of the Directorate expressed regret over the escalation of the Yemen conflict, which undermines current efforts to end a protracted conflict that has triggered a severe humanitarian crisis. The conflict in Yemen can only have a political solution. Nils Jansons underlined that Latvia condemns the Houthi attack on civilian infrastructures in the UAE, and he referred to it as an act of terror causing the deaths of innocent civilians. Nils Jansons also offered condolences to the families of those who died and wished a speedy recovery to the injured.