On 10 March 2021, the State Secretary of the Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Andris Pelšs, met with the new Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia, Jonatan Vseviov, who was in Riga on an introductory visit.
The State Secretary, Andris Pelšs, praised the good and close cooperation between the Foreign Services of Latvia and Estonia over the years. In 2021, the two countries celebrate the centenary of the beginning of their diplomatic relations as countries which had received international de jure recognition. The State Secretary also thanked Estonia for the opportunity that Latvia and our diplomat at the Permanent Mission to the United Nations have had to learn and benefit from Estonian experience in planning and preparing for Latvia’s campaign on the path to the UN Security Council.
Andris Pelšs highlighted changes made to the Regulation of the Latvian and Estonian Language Promotion Award, expanding the scope of nominees. On 9 March 2021, the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Latvia and Estonia announced the award contest for the promotion of Latvian and Estonian languages in 2020. By 6 April, a translation, a piece of research, a language learning project (including a journalistic programme, article or broadcast on language promotion), a journalist, a language teacher or a higher education institution faculty member can be nominated for the Languages Award.
The officials also discussed the security and defence situation in the region, as well as the relationships with the United States of America, Russia, Belarus and China.
Jonatan Vseviov assumed the post of the Secretary General at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia in February 2021. Prior to his appointment, Jonatan Vseviov was the Ambassador of Estonia to the USA.