Latvia and the United Arab Emirates hold political consultations on bilateral relations and regional developments

On 4 November 2020, political consultations in a video-conference format were held between Latvia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), chaired by Andris Pelšs, State Secretary of the Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Khalifa Shaheen Khalifa Almarar, Assistant Minister of Political Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the United Arab Emirates. Political consultations took place at a significant time for relations between Latvia and the UAE – both countries established their diplomatic relations 25 years ago, in 1995.

The State Secretary confirmed Latvia’s interest in the further development of relations between Latvia and the UAE in the areas such as trade, air transport, tourism, information and communication technologies, culture, education and health. The diplomats also discussed options for expanding the legal framework for bilateral cooperation.

In the context of economic cooperation, Andris Pelšs confirmed that Latvia is preparing for participation in Expo 2020 Dubai, which will provide opportunities for expanding and deepening the relations between the two countries in business and trade.

As concerns challenges posed by the spread of COVID-19, the officials were of one mind that international cooperation is vital in addressing the pandemic and its consequences.

In their conversation, Andris Pelšs and Khalifa Shaheen Khalifa Almarar discussed the state of play in the Middle East, in particular, the Middle East peace process, developments in the Persian Gulf region, Syria and Libya, and current events in the Baltic region.

The previous political consultations between Latvia and the UAE were held on 13 October 2016 in Riga.