On 6 December 2021, the State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Andris Pelšs, received the recently posted Ambassador of New Zealand to Latvia, Alana Rose Hudson, on an accreditation visit. The Ambassador resides in Warsaw, Poland.
Their conversation addressed bilateral cooperation between Latvia and New Zealand, as well as security policy issues and topics on the agenda of the European Union. Andris Pelšs underlined the opportunities for cooperation in the ICT sector and he presented an offer for practical cooperation in the field of transport and logistics. Officials from New Zealand were invited to visit Latvia in 2022.
The Ambassador emphasised that her posting began at the time when the two countries mark the 30th anniversary of their diplomatic relations. Alana Rose Hudson commended current cooperation between Latvia and New Zealand in international organisations, based on common principles and values. The Ambassador said she was certain that the accreditation of the non-resident Ambassador of Latvia to New Zealand, Marģers Krams, will contribute to the development of economic dialogue and the exchange of visits.
Andris Pelšs noted that following the accreditation of Ambassador Krams, a closer dialogue is expected to evolve with the Latvian diaspora. In accordance with statistics available in Latvia, New Zealand currently is home to approximately 200 Latvian citizens, living principally in Christchurch and Oakland.