On 16 August 2022, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Edgars Rinkēvičs, visited the Turkish capital, Ankara, as part of his official visit, and met with the Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu. The officials discussed the bilateral relations between Latvia and Turkey, relations between the European Union (EU) and Turkey, and security policy issues, especially Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and cooperation within NATO.
“We value good bilateral relations, as well as regular and open dialogue with Turkey. At a time when Russia is waging its war in Europe, close ties between allies have become even more important,” Rinkēvičs stated. The Minister also thanked Turkey for its solidarity and support to Latvia in limiting the flow of third-country nationals to Belarus. Rinkēvičs expressed Latvia’s interest in continuing the exchange of high-level visits and political consultations between the Foreign Ministries of the two countries. The Minister thanked Turkey for its decision to extend the visa-free stay of Latvian citizens in Turkey.
While discussing Finland’s and Sweden’s NATO membership, Rinkēvičs drew attention to the fact that both countries have shown themselves to be reliable NATO partners, whose armed forces and their readiness fully meet the standards of the Alliance. Both countries joining the Alliance will significantly strengthen security in the Baltic Sea region, NATO’s northern flank and Europe as a whole. “The rapid admission of both countries to NATO is an important national security issue for Latvia. At the same time, Latvia understands and recognizes Turkey’s legitimate security interests, which include condemning terrorism in all its forms. Latvia values the proper reflection of the threat of terrorism in the NATO Strategic Concept,” the Minister emphasized.
The officials also discussed EU-Turkey relations. “Turkey is a key partner and a candidate country of the European Union. Thus, cooperation is crucial to addressing common challenges, especially in the face of Russian military aggression. Latvia is interested in maintaining the EU’s positive agenda on Turkey. This will require continued efforts of de-escalating tensions in the region. Latvia supports the dialogue between the European Union and Turkey on foreign policy and regional policy issues in order to promote mutual understanding and coordinate action in addressing common challenges,” the Minister stated.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine was also discussed during the meeting. Rinkēvičs welcomed Turkish diplomatic efforts, as well as Turkey’s support for the resolutions of the United Nations General Assembly to ensure the agreement that has so far been reached on Ukrainian grain exports.