On 26 August, during his working visit to Alpbach (Austria), President of Latvia Edgars Rinkēvičs met with President of Austria Alexander Van der Bellen. Following the bilateral meeting, President Rinkēvičs took part in the 80th anniversary European Forum Alpbach.
Bilateral meeting between Latvian and Austrian presidents focused on bilateral relations, regional security, support to Ukraine, situation in the Middle East and current agenda of the European Union (EU).
President of Latvia remarked on the positive Latvia-Austria political dialogue and reiterated commitment to deepening trade relations. According to President Rinkēvičs, next year will also be special as both countries will mark 105 years since establishment of diplomatic relations.
Heads of both countries then turned to EU agenda, and President of Latvia confirmed support for EU integration of Western Balkans, Ukraine and Moldova. He also stressed the importance of EU candidate countries following EU values, objectives and Common Foreign and Security Policy in the reform process.
Presidents of both countries also addressed security challenges faced by Europe. President of Latvia reiterated the significance of threats posed by Russia, underlining the role of investments in the development of defence and military industry. President Rinkēvičs and President Van der Bellen also exchanged views on the situation in the Middle East, emphasising the importance of finding ways to ensure immediate return of hostages and resolve the deepening humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip by opening safe corridors for supply of humanitarian aid and preventing civilian casualties.
