On 16 February 2023, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Latvia, Edgars Rinkēvičs, welcomed a farewell visit from the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to Latvia, Olexandr Mischenko, who is concluding his term in office in Latvia.
The Minister expressed gratitude to the Ambassador for his contribution to the strengthening of bilateral relations and active cooperation since the beginning of the war in Ukraine. Edgars Rinkēvičs reaffirmed Latvia’s commitment to providing all possible support for Ukraine and he expressed his hope for the soon victory of Ukraine. The Minister praised the heroic fight of the Ukrainian people for the freedom and independence of their country. Edgars Rinkēvičs pledged Latvia’s strong support for the integration of Ukraine into the European Union.
The Ambassador of Ukraine thanked the Minister for his personal contribution to cooperation with international partners and commended Latvia’s unwavering support for Ukraine since the very first day of the war, last 24 February. Special thanks were offered to Latvian institutions for their contribution to sharing best practice in the rehabilitation of soldiers in Ukraine and to Latvian hospitals and the National Rehabilitation Centre “Vaivari” for their efforts in the treatment and rehabilitation of Ukrainian soldiers in Latvia.
The bilateral relations between Latvia and Ukraine have rapidly expanded over the past year, especially in the matters of security and defence.
As part of his farewell visit, Ambassador Mischenko also met with the State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Andris Pelšs.
Olexandr Mischenko has been serving as Ambassador to Latvia since 2019. On 18 November 2022, he was awarded the Order of the Three Stars.