Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the United Arab Emirates and the Republic of Latvia back in 1995 until recently both countries did not have an active cooperation due to lack of information about each other. With the growing number of trade balance and the expansion of legal framework, the opening of Latvian Embassy in Abu Dhabi in 2014 and UAE Embassy in Riga in 2017, were important steps in establishing closer political, economic and cultural cooperation and played a vital role in strengthening the bilateral ties between the two states.

Since the opening of the UAE Embassy in Latvia, a remarkable step forward of cooperation was the visit of the President of Latvia H.E. Mr Raimonds Vejonis to the UAE resulted with the signing of several bilateral agreements, business seminar was held and solid contacts were established. The exchange of visits continued by the visit of the Minister of Economy of the UAE H.E. Eng. Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansoori and visit of Dubai Chamber’s Roadshow to Latvia led by H.E. Majid Saif Al Ghurair, Chairman of Dubai Chamber and several businessmen representing leading companies in the UAE. Highest officials of both countries have confirmed that the UAE and Latvia are strategic and trusted partners and like-minded nations in different areas, both countries can benefit from sharing experiences of their success stories.

During recent years, there has been a remarkable growth in bilateral trade and economic cooperation. Total bilateral trade between the UAE and Latvia grew from 38.4 EUR in 2016 to 61.2 million EUR in 2018. Trade volumes continues to grow, and it confirms that the two countries' economic cooperation has great potential in economic ties. Latvian companies are set to take part in Expo2020 in Dubai to share their innovations and achievements in the various fields. Latvian and UAE national airlines airBaltic and Etihad Airways have brought countries closer to each other by launching direct flights from Riga to Abu Dhabi, which played a vital role in increasing mutual understanding, business contacts, and connect different cultures together. The flight carried almost 30 000 passengers in the last season (2017/2018) increasing by 5 000 passengers comparing to the previous season (2018/2019). Latvia offers not only beautiful nature and logistics gate to Nordic region and professional services in healthcare but also strong expertise in ICT, Artificial intelligence and startups, which are key areas where the UAE is developing its capabilities.

Being the first and only Arab resident Embassy in Latvia, the UAE Embassy in Latvia has set a strategic engagement plan in Latvia, in which the embassy ensured an active participation and engagement in Riga. Especially during many social activities in Latvia; including charities, international events, festivals, published articles in Media, meetings with social partners, National Day celebrations and even reaching people outside the capital. In addition, in promoting the Emirati and Arab culture, language and traditions. For instance, in the field of education: The Embassy assisted the Latvian Institute to publish books and information materials in Arabic language about Latvia that shows how important the Arab region is for Latvia.  Latvia is a safe, family-friendly country blessed with amazing nature; a unique and fascinating history; culture and traditions that deserves to be discovered; and a multitude of charming towns and villages.

Her Excellency Hanan Khalfan Obaid Al Alili

UAE Ambassador to Latvia

Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation