On 9 May 2023, the Under Secretary, Political Director at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia, Andžejs Viļumsons, received the Director General for Political Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, Marcel de Vink, for political consultations.
The officials discussed issues related to Russia’s war in Ukraine, further support to Ukraine, as well as preparations for the upcoming NATO summit of heads of state and government in Vilnius in July. The political directors agreed that dialogue with third countries should be encouraged, in particular in response to the consequences of Russia’s war in Ukraine, and in order to reduce the risks of circumvention of sanctions against Russia.
Andžejs Vilumsons also outlined the priorities of the forthcoming Latvian Presidency of the Council of Europe from 17 May to 16 November – strengthening democracy and the rule of law, freedom of expression, safety of journalists and promotion of the digital agenda, as well as progress with reforms of the Council of Europe.
The previous round of political consultations between Latvia and the Netherlands took place in April 2021.
