On 25 November 2021 in Riga, the Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica met with the Secretary of State for Europe at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Poland, Szymon Szynkowski vel Sęk. The officials discussed bilateral relations between Latvia and Poland, security and external relations, including the situation at the border with Belarus.
Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica noted that cooperation between Latvia and Poland is diverse and dynamic. The two countries are linked by an active political dialogue and a broad-scale economic and cultural cooperation. The Parliamentary Secretary underlined that recently, upon encountering similar security challenges, cooperation between the countries has increased in importance. The officials welcomed a coordinated action by Latvia and Poland in the fight against hybrid threats posed by Belarus to the EU’s external border and they recognised that work should continue together with partners on events aimed at the strengthening of security in the region.
The diplomats were in agreement that the two countries should continue their joint activities on topics related to the Three Seas Initiative. In the summer of 2022, Riga will host the Three Seas Initiative Summit and Business Forum. Latvia and Poland are closely cooperating at this point already to promote the visibility of the initiative and engagement with partners.
During the meeting, Szymon Szynkowski vel Sęk commended Latvia’s efforts of creating excellent conditions for the development of education and culture among the Polish community. Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica thanked Poland for its solidarity with Latvia in overcoming the COVID-19 crisis – sending the necessary medical equipment to Latvia’s medical care institutions.