Canberra, 9 August 2022 (TDI): The Foreign Minister of Australia, Penny Wong met with the Latvian counterpart Edgars Rinkēvičs and gave a joint statement in Canberra on Monday.
📃 On 8 August 2022, #Latvian Minister of Foreign Affairs @edgarsrinkevics and #Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs @SenatorWong met in #Canberra and issued the following Joint Statement 🇱🇻🤝🇦🇺
➡️ https://t.co/Ve3qsyzI9Z pic.twitter.com/dvVOZKtwIb— Latvian MFA 🇱🇻 | #StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦 (@Latvian_MFA) August 9, 2022
Joint Statement by the Foreign Ministers
The Ministers emphasized the historical significance of the establishment of Latvia’s first-ever embassy in Canberra in the statement. This initiative will offer expanded interaction between the two countries.
The Ministers also underlined that strong people-to-people ties, such as migration after World War II, were the foundation of Australia and Latvia’s shared values.
They acknowledged the enormous contributions made by Australians of Latvian heritage to contemporary Australia. Especially in the fields of business, education, and culture.
Ministers made a solemn commitment to maintaining the rule of law, human rights, and the international system based on rules.
Minister Rinkēvičs stated that Latvia is ready to collaborate with Australia and is in favor of the vigorous implementation of the European Union’s Strategy for Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific.
The EU and Latvia’s commitment to fostering regional stability, security, prosperity, and sustainable development was warmly welcomed by Minister Wong.
The Ministers vehemently denounced Russia’s unlawful, unjustified, and barbaric assault on Ukraine and its people, which has grave ramifications for global security and stability.
The Ministers also condemned Russia’s flagrant violations of international law, particularly the United Nations Charter. They also reaffirmed their unwavering support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Australia and Latvia urged Russia to get all of its military personnel out of Ukraine right away and affirmed their robust support for the international efforts to hold Russia accountable for its actions.
The Ministers also welcomed the inclusion of the Indo-Pacific in NATO’s Strategic Concept and, efforts to strengthen security in the Baltic region. This was the outcome of the NATO Leaders’ Summit in Madrid.
In the end, the Ministers agreed that Australia and Latvia would continue to collaborate closely on matters of shared concern to deal with the complexity of global challenges.
