On 21 January, during the World Economic Forum in Davos, President Edgars Rinkēvičs met with the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Mariano Grossi, and the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of the French company Mistral AI, Arthur Mensch. The President also took part as a speaker in a discussion on strengthening the resilience of national economies to shocks.
In his meeting with IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi, the President condemned Russia’s regular military attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and nuclear facilities, including the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. E. Rinkēvičs emphasized the significance of ensuring Ukraine's complete authority over all nuclear facilities on Ukrainian territory and expressed support for the IAEA’s efforts to carry out comprehensive and timely monitoring and nuclear safety verification measures.
During his meeting with Arthur Mensch, co-founder and CEO of Mistral AI, the President underlined the need to strengthen the competitiveness of European countries through technological development and closer cooperation among states. The discussion also addressed potential opportunities for cooperation in the field of artificial intelligence with Latvian companies.
In the panel discussion on strengthening the resilience of national economies to shocks, the President highlighted the importance of reducing the Baltic states’ energy dependence on Russia. “In recent years, the Baltic states have significantly reduced their reliance on Russian energy resources by diversifying supplies and disconnecting from the Russian electricity grid, while synchronising with the European system. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine accelerated political decisions that had previously been difficult, even though they involved costs,” said President Rinkēvičs. He also emphasized Latvia’s decision to allocate 5% of its gross domestic product to defence this year, while at the same time strengthening the investment environment.
