Ambassador Atis Sjanīts presents copies of his credentials in Saudi Arabia

On 30 November 2020, in the capital of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh, Ambassador Atis Sjanīts presented copies of his letters of credence to the officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in taking up the post of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Latvia to Saudi Arabia.

In a conversation with Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mishari bin Ali bin Nahit, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs for Political and Economic Affairs, Dr. Adel Siraj Merdad, and the Director of the European Department, Sultan F. Bin Khuzaim. Atis Sjanīts underlined the need for developing cooperation between Latvia and Saudi Arabia in business and trade.

In a meeting with the Deputy Minister of Economy and Planning, Bandar Alkhamies, Ambassador Sjanīts underlined the ongoing trade contacts between Latvia and Saudi Arabia during a period of global recession, and he called for exploring new opportunities for economic cooperation, for instance, in the field of start-ups and modern communication technologies, as well as in traditional sectors, such as trade in food and agricultural products.

During his visit, Ambassador Sjanīts met with Ambassador Patrick Simonnet, Head of Mission at the European Union Delegation in Riyadh.

In 2019, the export of Latvian goods and services to Saudi Arabia exceeded 10 million euros, the largest volume of Latvian export in the Gulf region. Although trade between the two countries has considerably decreased during the global pandemic, it is expected that as global growth resumes Latvia’s economic ties will continue to develop.

During his visit, the Ambassador explored the possibility for opening a Latvian Honorary Consulate in Saudi Arabia, which would serve as support for building closer links between both the countries and businesses.

Diplomatic relations between Latvia and Saudi Arabia were established in 2003. On 6-7 December 2019, the Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkēvičs visited Saudi Arabia, and on 20 August 2020, the Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, made a first-ever visit to Latvia. On 20-21 November 2020, Saudi Arabia hosted a summit of the G20 countries in a video-conference format.

Atis Sjanīts is the second non-resident Ambassador of Latvia to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, residing in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates. He has been posted as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Turkey, Ukraine, Canada, and Lithuania, as well as a non-resident Ambassador to Moldova, Iran, the Holy See, and the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.