On 26 March, the Foreign Minister of Latvia Edgars Rinkevics met with the Foreign Minister of Indonesia, Marty Natalegawa, who was in Latvia for an official visit. This is the first ever visit by an Indonesian Foreign Minister to Latvia and the Baltics since the restoration of independence. The visit is proof to the increasing interest of Indonesia to cooperate with Latvia.
The Foreign Ministers discussed bilateral relations and positively evaluated the increasing intensity of the political dialogue. The ministers agreed to continue regular political consultations and enhance the level of representation, by Latvia appointing a non-resident Ambassador to Indonesia, and Indonesia opening a Honorary Consulate in Riga.
Foreign Minister Rinkevics directed attention to the enhancement of the bilateral legal framework, accentuating the necessity to continue talks on signing a Double Taxation Convention and an Air Transport Agreement, and expressed support for expanding cooperation in culture and education. The parties also noted the good cooperation within international organisations.
Foreign Minister Rinkevics called on the Indonesian side to make use of cooperation opportunities in culture and education offered by the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF) and the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM). The minister invited Indonesian representatives to take part in the ASEF Board of Governors’ Meeting in Riga this May, and the ASEM Meeting of Ministers of Education scheduled during the Latvian Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
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