On 15 June 2022, the State Secretary of the Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Andris Pelšs, welcomed a farewell visit from the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Estonia, Arti Hilpus.
The State Secretary thanked the Ambassador for his contribution to the strengthening of cooperation between Latvia and Estonia, and he underlined that mutual support and joint action over the past years had been highly important. The State Secretary noted that a close political dialogue and regular exchange of visits had been sustained during the Ambassador’s posting, in addition to active cooperation at the time of the pandemic.
Andris Pelšs spoke highly of the Latvian-Estonian cooperation initiatives undertaken during the Ambassador’s time in office – the annual Language Award, informal seminars between the Foreign Ministries of Latvia and Estonia, and the new report on future cooperation between Latvia and Estonia, the results of which are expected to be presented in the nearest month and propose ideas on the further strengthening of cooperation between the two countries.
The diplomats were unanimous that the close contacts and coordination in working bilaterally and with partners in the EU and NATO, as well as with other international partners must continue. Latvia and Estonia must also further pursue joint efforts in response to the war waged by Russia in Ukraine through offering support to Ukraine. The Baltic States need to further reinforce the region’s security and ensure the advancement of energy and transport projects.
Ambassador Arti Hilpus was accredited to Latvia on 31 July 2018.