On 17 March 2021, at an official ceremony in Riyadh, the Ambassador of Latvia, Atis Sjanīts, presented his letter of credence to the King of Saudi Arabia, His Majesty Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia, H.E. Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah bin Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, was also present at the event.
In his address, the Ambassador conveyed greetings from the President of Latvia, Egils Levits, to the King of Saudi Arabia and underlined the considerable potential for growth in the relations between the two countries, especially in building business links.
The main objective of the Embassy of Latvia in Saudi Arabia (which has its residence in Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates) is to promote bilateral cooperation in business and trade, as well as taking forward the political dialogue with Saudi Arabia and other Arab states of the Persian Gulf. Saudi Arabia has the largest economy in the Arab world and is a member of the influential G20 group, as well as being a prospective trade partner for Latvia in the Gulf region.
In 2020, the total exports of Latvian goods to Saudi Arabia, mainly conventional goods, such as grain, timber and peat, amounted to 87.35 million EUR.
Diplomatic relations between Latvia and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia were established on 21 March 2003. Atis Sjanīts is the second non-resident Ambassador of Latvia to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, residing in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates, where he was accredited in October 2019.
