Amid celebrating the 106th anniversary of proclamation of the Republic of Latvia, the Latvian Embassy to the Kingdom of Belgium, holds a reception in support of Latvia’s UN Security Council candidacy

On 19 November 2024, the Embassy of the Latvia in Belgium, in honour of the 106th anniversary of the proclamation of the Republic of Latvia, hosted a festive reception in support of Latvia’s candidacy for non-permanent membership of the United Nation Security Council. Invited to the event were members of the diplomatic corps from all the regions of the world, representatives from international organisations, and cooperation partners. The event was opened by the Ambassador of Latvia to Belgium, Aiga Liepiņa.

In her address to those present, Ambassador Aiga Liepiņa noted that independence and freedom are the fundamental needs of every mature nation. Latvia’s 106-year history is an inspiration story for the world about determination and courage, resilience and the ability of rebirth.

“Latvia’s candidacy, for the first time in its history, for a seat of a non-permanent Member of the UN Security Council is proof to the successful growth our country has experienced – from a new country that was soon occupied to a full-fledged and responsible member of the international community,” Aiga Liepiņa noted.

The Ambassador emphasized that, given its historical experience, Latvia strongly advocates for the international law-based order and accountability for violations of international law. In the present-day world of change, the UN must be able to effectively contribute to addressing the emerging challenges. “Multilateralism is an existential interest of my country. There was a time 33 years ago when Latvia returned to the international community by joining the UN. This contributed to the process of the withdrawal of the Soviet Union’s troops and strengthening our statehood. It is now our duty to protect the UN Charter by contributing to reduction of global security threats.”

A musical introduction to the festive event was offered by the Brussels Latvian Choir led by director Kārlis Ostrovskis, which performed the works of Latvian authors. The guests were offered information material, and they had the opportunity to watch videos stories about Latvia.

The event was implemented as part of the public diplomacy programme in support of the lobby campaign of Latvia’s candidacy for the United Nations Security Council. The campaign under the motto of “Together for peace and resilience” aims at ensuring successful election of Latvia to the United Nations Security Council for the 2026–2027 term in the 2025 election, at which Latvia is running for an elected member’s seat for the first time. Membership of the UNSC will be a key instrument in pursuit and protection of Latvia’s foreign policy interests, as well as making it possible for Latvia to expand the scale of its international cooperation and thereby contributing to world peace and resilience.