On 18 October 2022, the State Secretary of the Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Andris Pelšs, hosted accreditation visits from the non-resident Ambassador of the Republic of Panama, Javier Alcides Bonagas de Gracia, and the non-resident Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Dr Khalid Hussain Memon.
At the beginning of the visit, the Ambassador of Panama commended the relations between Latvia and Panama dating back to more than 100 years ago. Panama recognised the Republic of Latvia de jure as early as on 6 July 2021.
The State Secretary briefed the Ambassador about the security situation in the region and Latvia’s assistance to Ukraine while underlining the importance of the multilateral system for regional and global peace and security. The partners in the conversation expressed interest in exploring opportunities for the expansion of economic cooperation and increasing mutual trade.
In a conversation with the Pakistani Ambassador, the State Secretary expressed condolences over the devastating floods in Pakistan, which have caused a humanitarian crisis. The officials exchanged views on security in the region in relation to Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine.
The diplomats agreed that the political dialogue between Latvia and Pakistan should be intensified so as to promote mutual understanding of regional security issues. The State Secretary and the Ambassador also made note of cooperation as part of the European Union-Pakistan dialogue as well as the need to facilitate economic contacts especially in trade and investments.
The Ambassador of Panama and the Ambassador of Pakistan reside in Warsaw.
The Ambassadors’ accreditation with the President of Latvia has been scheduled for 19 October 2022.