On the occasion of his visit to Singapore, H.E. Mr Edgars Rinkevics, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lativa, gave a public lecture on the topic “Recent Developments in the European Union (EU) and Latvia” at the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF) on Wednesday 2 May 2012, at 4:00-5:00pm. The lecture took place at ASEF’s Conference Room.
Latvia rebounded from the 2008 financial crisis with solid GDP growth in 2011. In this lecture, Minister Rinkevics focused on Latvia’s experience in overcoming its financial difficulties, the lessons it learnt, and the key attributes that led to its successful transformation.
Latvia has embarked on its first steps to develop ties with the ASEAN countries. Minister Rinkevics also shared his vision of how Latvia and the European Union (EU) could strengthen their relations with ASEAN. Minister Rinkevics discussed the benefits of the establishment of a free trade area between the EU and ASEAN.
The lecture was open to the public. The guests from diplomatic corps, think tanks and educational and research institutions were able to engage with Minister Rinkevics during the question-and-answer session.
The lecture was organised by ASEF with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Singapore.