On 19 September 2022, during the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, the Latvian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Edgars Rinkēvičs, met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of the Republic of Marshall Islands, Kitlang Kabua. The Ministers signed a protocol on the establishment of diplomatic relations between Latvia and the Marshall Islands. The officials also discussed current international relations and cooperation in the United Nations.
The Latvian Minister of Foreign Affairs stated that it was important for Latvia to cooperate with like-minded partners in the Indo-pacific region. The Minister informed his counterpart about the opening of the Embassy of Latvia in Canberra, which is to operate as a regional mission thereby also making it possible to identify areas of cooperation with the Marshall Islands.
We regard the Marshall Islands as a leader in a number of matters important for the European Union, especially climate change, environmental sustainability and ocean management; therefore, we shall work to find the ways for practical cooperation in the framework of the European Union’s Strategy for Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific adopted in 2021, Edgars Rinkēvičs underlined.
In the conversation, the Foreign Minister expressed thanks for support to Ukraine in UN voting. Being the only Pacific island state currently elected to the United Nations Human Rights Council, the Marshall Islands supported a resolution on the deteriorating human rights situation in Ukraine stemming from the Russian aggression, as well as the establishment of a Commission of Inquiry.
The Foreign Minister thanked the Marshall Islands for supporting Latvia’s candidacy for elections to the United Nations Security Council in 2025.