On 28 October 2018 in New York, a Joint Communiqué was signed establishing diplomatic relations between the Republic of Latvia and the Kingdom of Tonga. The Joint Communiqué was signed by Andrejs Pildegovičs, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Permanent Representative of Latvia to the United Nations in New York on behalf of Latvia, and by Viliami Va‘inga Tōnē, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Permanent Representative of Tonga to the United Nations in New York, on behalf of Tonga.
The Ambassadors of both countries welcomed the establishment of diplomatic relations, which will foster bilateral ties and cooperation in international organisations. During their conversation, they also discussed the role of small states in the UN, Latvia’s candidacy for a seat on the UN Security Council, and opportunities for closer cooperation in the areas such as climate change, development cooperation, and business.
Tonga is a constitutional monarchy, located in the southwest of the Pacific. The country comprises 170 islands of which 36 are inhabited. Tonga has a population of more than 100,000 people. Tonga is unique also due to being the only state in Oceania that has retained its status of being a monarchy. The islands of Tonga are also called the “Friendly Islands”.
Since regaining its independence, the Republic of Latvia has established diplomatic ties with almost all countries. To date, diplomatic relations have been established with 189 of the 193 UN member states. The Latvian diplomatic service is working to set up diplomatic ties with four more UN member states – Bhutan, South Sudan, Guinea-Bissau and the Marshall Islands.
Diplomatic relations are the foundation for the development of inter-state relations and bilateral cooperation.