The Saeima (the Latvian Parliament) approved Baiba Braže as Minister of Foreign Affairs on 19 April 2024. The focus of all the Minister’s working visits and meetings has been placed on support to Ukraine, Latvia’s security and economic growth, and the people of Latvia, their safety and well-being.
Foreign Minister Baiba Braže about her first year as Minister of Foreign Affairs on the team of Prime Minister Evika Siliņa:
“One of the privileges of this post is the opportunity to meet with the people of Latvia – young people, entrepreneurs, scientists, members of the armed forces, representatives of the diaspora both in Latvia and abroad. We have many talented and enterprising people.
Looking back at my first bilateral working visit to Ukraine still evokes emotions and impressions, and so does my visit to Odessa with the foreign ministers of the Baltic states and Nordic countries, when we met with wounded soldiers, grain-exporting businesses, the commander of the Ukrainian Navy. The focus of all my working meetings has been and remains support for Ukraine: the situation in Ukraine will affect security across Europe and the transatlantic space. We cannot sit back and wait for different countries in the world to understand the nature of the war waged by Russia. I stay in close communication with the Ukrainian Foreign Minister on a daily basis and I use all international platforms – the EU, NATO, the UN, the OSCE – to advance initiatives in support of Ukraine and containing Russia. I am grateful to the Latvian society and public institutions for their tireless efforts to help the Ukrainian people. Last May, I ran my first half marathon in my life, which I dedicated to support for Ukraine. And thank you for the 154,748 EUR donated so far for drones for the Ukrainian armed forces!
Together with our Baltic colleagues, we have made important and successful visits to the United States, thereby strengthening relations with our strategic ally. Our mission is to pursue Latvia’s interests and deepen cooperation with the United States in security, energy and new technologies. We will continue to lead NATO leaders in terms of investments in security and defence, and we will work to scale up the presence of NATO Allies in Latvia, while continuing close cooperation with Canada, which currently leads NATO’s international contingent in Latvia. We are pleased that we have managed to deepen cooperation with partners in other regions of the world, especially the Indo-Pacific countries.
I am grateful to my colleagues at the Foreign Service for their intensive work in order to continue strengthening sanctions against Russia. Sanctions are working – we see that Russia’s war economy is becoming increasingly weaker, and what efforts the oligarchs are making to get delisted, we see information and lobbying campaigns in various EU Member States. Sanctions help undermine Russia’s war economy.
Many thanks to professionals at our Consular Department, who work 24/7 to help Latvian citizens in various emergency situations around the world. For me personally, one of the most emotional moments was the return of a minor, Monika [Bukaine], to Latvia. This was achieved due to the Foreign Ministry team working in close cooperation with other Latvian authorities. Thank you!”
The Minister encourages everyone to build their resilience, critical thinking and develop new skills:
“I am very happy that I joined the National Guard (Zemesardze), which I had wanted to do for a long time. I took the oath in May and completed basic training in November. It is a unique experience, new knowledge, a sense of confidence, team spirit and the opportunity to meet wonderful and determined people, professionals from a wide variety of fields. It was not easy, but it was worth it.”
SECURITY
- Support to Ukraine. On the international arena, we explain the imperialist, colonial nature of Russian aggression, its consequences and security risks on a global scale. At the OSCE Ministerial Council in Malta, the Minister demonstratively left the hall when a speaker of the aggressor state took the floor. In New York on February 24, three years into the war, the Minister addressed the UN General Assembly and the UN Security Council on behalf of the NB8. Latvia will continue to advocate the utilising of immobilised assets by the Russian state and the Central Bank to sustain Ukraine’s reconstruction efforts.
- Restraining Russia. The 14th, 15th and 16the EU sanctions packages include Latvian proposals – barring exports and transit of the manganese ore to Russia, restrictions on the transhipment of liquefied natural gas originating in Russia in EU ports, restrictive measures against Russia’s shadow fleet. At the EU level, the Minister regularly highlights Latvia’s experience in enforcing sanctions and underlines the need to share the burden, because it is the responsible authorities of Latvia that do important work in sanctions control at the eastern border of the EU and NATO, although 80% of cargoes crossing the border with Russian and Belarus comes from other EU Member States. Work is under way to isolate Russia and Belarus in a number of international organizations. Last year, Latvia achieved a significant legal victory in the European Court of Human Rights in the case of Djeri and others v. Latvia, which is related to the education reform phase of 2018.
- Transatlantic cooperation. After the appointment of the new U.S. administration, Baiba Braže was one of the first foreign ministers to be contacted by the U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The Minister has paid four working visits to the U.S. in the last three months and, in meetings with congressmen from both parties, senators, and officials of the new administration, emphasised Latvia’s achievements in defence, security and energy independence. A number of potential cooperation projects have been identified with the U.S. – in strengthening energy independence, defence, security, and new technologies.
- Secure Latvia. Baiba Braže has included a number of persons on the list of personae non grata in Latvia. Decisions have been taken in cooperation with the competent authorities. We appreciate the active involvement of Latvian society and the media expressing a critical position against pro-Kremlin artists. Organisers of public events are repeatedly urged to thoroughly check the reputation and activities of visitors to be invited.
- Voice of Latvia in the world. Latvia’s opinion has been voiced by the minister at global conferences, forums, think-tanks and international media. Over the year, the number of ministerial working visits has almost reached 80, including important incoming visits to Latvia from Canada, France, Finland, Greece, Denmark, Sweden, a visit by the President of the UN General Assembly.
- Latvia’s candidacy to the UN Security Council. One of Latvia’s priorities in international organisations is support for Ukraine and the isolation of Russia. It is also one of the goals of Latvia’s candidacy for membership on the UN Security Council (2026-2027). UNSC elections will be held on June 3 this year.
ECONOMY. Last year, the Foreign Service, including the network of embassies and honorary consuls, actively supported Latvian exporting entrepreneurs, solving problem situations and establishing business contacts. For example, with support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Origin Robotics received EUR 4.5 million from the European Defence Fund for the development of an innovative unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The Minister regularly meets with local companies, their communities and organizations – StartUp House Riga, Red Jackets, the Latvian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Latvian Employers Confederation, the Latvian Industry Development Confederation, and others, to discuss the ways to receive support from the Foreign Service and to encourage entrepreneurs to participate in procurements for international institutions and agencies. Delegations of high-ranking officials and entrepreneurs, including from the U.S. and Türkiye, have visited Latvia to get acquainted with the potential of the Latvian economy, companies and investment projects. The efforts invested by public authorities, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and other organizations last year resulted in the attraction and implementation of several large investment projects. Exports have increased not only to European countries, but also to more distant markets – the U.S., India, Japan, Egypt, the Republic of Korea, Australia, and Canada.
PEOPLE. The Consular Service provided support to Latvian nationals in various crisis situations, including organizing the repatriation of 141 young people and 6 adults from Spain and France. As a result of Russia’s aggressive foreign policy, a new line of action has emerged in consular work – the protection of Latvian citizens (including current and former officials) against unlawful and politically motivated international arrest warrants issued by Russia.
More than one fifth of Latvian citizens live abroad temporarily or permanently; therefore, an important field of activity has been and will remain cooperation and support for the Latvian diaspora in order to sustain the Latvian language and culture abroad, to use the openness and talents of our compatriots in an even more targeted manner, and to promote the political, economic and civic participation of the diaspora. The Minister always takes the opportunity to talk to members of the Latvian community in foreign countries and to meet people during regional visits (Rēzekne, Tukums, Ādaži).
CUTTING RED TAPE
- The Law on the Circulation of Strategic Goods has been amended so that (1) Latvian companies, including those trading in firearms accessories (sighting devices, silencers), have equal conditions with foreign companies in shipping of military goods, (2) Latvian universities can participate in NATO innovation projects that develop military goods, and (3) Latvian manufacturers of dual-use items (that can be used for both military and civilian purposes) will have easier access to imports.
- To reduce costs and save time, Latvian citizens abroad will be encouraged to use e-services more actively (for certificates, declaring their place of residence, registration of children, receipt of documents, citizenship issues, notary services, etc.). This will ensure a more efficient use of state and embassy resources. Currently, these services are also provided by Latvian embassies.
- To speed up the process of receiving residence permits (important in attracting highly qualified foreign labour, etc.) and to use public resources more efficiently, applications will now be submitted directly to the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs (PMLP) – without the mediation of Latvian embassies, as was the case until now.
- To simplify the process and prevent errors in payments for consular services, a Pay by Link payment system has been introduced.
- To accelerate and simplify procurement and make it more understandable, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs proposes to increase the thresholds for “small procurements” and simplify the regulatory framework, as currently the requirements in Latvia are much stricter than at the EU level. It is also necessary to introduce uniform guidelines and terminology, as well as to prevent data duplication between two systems.
