On 10 June, President Edgars Rinkēvičs met with the President of Guinea-Bissau, Umaro Sissoco Embaló, at the Riga Castle during the latter’s official visit to Latvia. During the meeting, the parties discussed bilateral relations between Latvia and Guinea-Bissau, prospects for economic cooperation, Russia’s ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine, collaboration within the United Nations – particularly following Latvia’s election to the UN Security Council – as well as relations between the European Union and Guinea-Bissau, and issues concerning regional security.
President Edgars Rinkēvičs expressed his gratitude to Guinea-Bissau for its support in Latvia’s successful election to the United Nations Security Council. President Rinkēvičs reaffirmed Latvia’s position in favour of expanding the number of Security Council member states and stressed the importance of ensuring equal representation of Africa and other regions within the Council. “Latvia has been elected to the UN Security Council, and we are thankful to Guinea-Bissau for its support. We hope this milestone will also help strengthen our bilateral cooperation – not only within the UN and other international organisations, but also through closer engagement between our officials, entrepreneurs, academics, students and cultural figures,” said President Rinkēvičs at the meeting.
During the meeting, the President of Latvia expressed the view that Russia, through its aggression against Ukraine, is undermining the international order based on the principles set out in the UN Charter using force to redraw borders. Latvia views Russia as a long-term threat to Europe's vital security interests.
“Latvia is committed to peace efforts. However, it is crucial that any peace terms do not encourage further aggression. We call for international support for Ukraine in multilateral formats, in defence of the core principles of the UN Charter, and in support of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” President Edgars Rinkēvičs said at the meeting. He also noted that Russia seeks to reassert its dominance in the region by exploiting the resources of neighbouring states. Therefore, Latvia supports the continued application of economic pressure and the maintenance of international sanctions against Russia.
The President drew attention to the global implications of the war and Russia’s destabilising activities on the African continent. The parties also discussed the issue of the so-called “shadow fleet” used by Russia to finance its war against Ukraine, which poses a serious threat to maritime safety and the environment.
In addition, the security situation and challenges in West Africa were discussed, as well as the support required from the European Union.
For your information:
Diplomatic relations between the Republic of Latvia and the Republic of Guinea-Bissau were established on July 14, 2021.
