Latvia supports closer economic cooperation of the Baltic States with India

On 5 November 2020, a forum titled “The India-Nordic-Baltic Conclave” and dedicated to the promotion of economic cooperation between the Baltic and Nordic countries and India took place in an online format. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Latvia, Edgars Rinkēvičs, delivered remarks at the beginning of the event. The forum was organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in association with the Ministry of External Affairs of India under the main theme of “An Innovation-driven Partnership for Growth in a New World”.

The forum was opened by the Minister of External Affairs of India, Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, and he underlined the opportunities for cooperation offered by India in the areas that have a significant role to play in the economies of the Nordic-Baltic region, such as renewable energy, clean technologies, and more effective use of maritime resources. Such cooperation would enable all regions involved to become greener, smarter and more digital, thereby promoting their competitiveness and sustainability in our rapidly changing modern world, the External Affairs Minister noted.

In his introductory remarks, Latvian Foreign Minister, Edgars Rinkēvičs, underlined that this kind of forum with the participation of the Baltic States is a good format for cooperation with India, and he expressed confidence that Latvian businesses will be working more and more closely with partners from India, especially in innovation and the development of high technology.

The Foreign Minister highlighted the successful Latvian-Indian cooperation in the higher education sector. For instance, Riga Technical University is hosting 818 Indian students during the 2020/2021 academic year, mainly in engineering sciences and computer sciences programmes.

Later during the event, representatives from Latvian companies – Accenture, Ex Novo, Latvian Mobile Telephone (LMT), SAF Tehnika – and also with associations and research institutions – the Latvian Aerospace Industry Association, the Institute of Solid-State Physics of the University of Latvia, the Institute of Telecommunications of the Riga Technical University, and 5G Techritory – participated with presentations in various thematic sessions.

The participants discussed topics related to future technologies and innovation such as the development of digital infrastructure and 5G, artificial intelligence, data protection and cyber security, the future of manufacturing and the workforce, as well as clean technologies.

The commitment and efforts of the Latvian Embassy in India and the Investment and Development Agency of Latvia were of major importance in the preparation of the forum and for ensuring participation of representatives from Latvia.