Meeting of the Honorary Consuls of the Republic of Latvia in the United States

On April 3-4, the Embassy of the Republic of Latvia in the United States of America organized a meeting of honorary consuls of Latvia in the United States to discuss current agenda items relevant to Latvia and the embassy. The meeting was attended by 16 Honorary Consuls of Latvia from various U.S. states.

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Latvia to the United States of America Elita Kuzma thanked the Honorary Consuls for their significant contributions and close cooperation with the embassy in representing Latvia’s interests on a daily basis—a role they perform voluntarily and without compensation.

Ambassador Elita Kuzma and Deputy Head of the Mission Jānis Beķeris briefed the Honorary Consuls on the political, security, and economic priorities of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including goals in relations with our strategic partner, the United States. Ambassador Elita Kuzma encouraged the Honorary Consuls to promote economic cooperation between Latvia and the U.S., which also contributes to Latvia’s security. Embassy staff and Honorary Consuls also discussed consular matters, activities related to building relationships with U.S. Congress and state representatives, as well as cultural and public diplomacy issues.

Kaspars Briškens, Chairman of the Economic, Agricultural, Environmental and Regional Policy Committee of Saeima, joined the meeting providing participants with insights and led a discussion on Latvia’s economic priorities.

Mārtiņš Andersons, President of the American Latvian Association (ALA), informed attendees about the ALA’s work and addressed the Honorary Consuls regarding potential further cooperation in lobbying for Latvia’s interests with U.S. Congressional representatives in their states. It is worth noting that next year, the ALA, which represents more than 100 Latvian organizations across 26 U.S. states, will celebrate its 75th anniversary.

The meeting also featured Kristine Vainovska Twidwell, Executive Director of the Latvian-American Chamber of Commerce (LACC), who briefed the Honorary Consuls on the chamber’s efforts to promote business relations between Latvia and the United States. This included details about the Spotlight Latvia conference scheduled for October 15-16 in Washington, D.C., as well as the regular online webinars known as Mini Spotlight.