Dhaka, 6 September 2018: The first Foreign Office consultations between the Foreign Ministries of Bangladesh and Latvia were held in Riga, the capital of Latvia on 3rd September, 2018. At the Consultations, Bangladesh side comprised Secretary (Bilateral & Consular) Foreign Ministry, Ambassador Kamrul Ahsan as head of delegation, Ambassador of Bangladesh to Russia, Dr. S. M. Saiful Hoque, Foreign Ministry and Embassy officials, while the Latvian side comprised their Under-Secretary of State, Political Director General, Janis Mazeiks, Director General for Asian Affairs and Senior Desk officers of Latvian Foreign Ministry.

At the outset of the discussions, the Bangladesh head of delegation thanked the Latvian government for their support to Bangladesh during the War of Liberation in 1971. Ambassador Ahsan also acknowledged the Latvian support to Bangladesh extended at different international fora including the UN. He mentioned that the first ever foreign office consultations between Bangladesh and Latvia marked an important beginning with a view to augmenting the relations between the two countries. The Bangladesh head of delegation underscored the need of exchange of bilateral high level and official visits. He also mentioned the need of conclusion of agreements and arrangement of Foreign Office consultations to institutionalize the cooperation. The Latvian Under-Secretary of State expressed their willingness to enhance cooperation with Bangladesh by means of further engagement and conclusion of bilateral agreements and MoUs, which are being discussed by both sides. Bangladesh and Latvia discussed the potential sectors where both countries can establish cooperation and be engaged in business. The sides also underscored the importance of realizing the potentials of trade and investment between the two countries. In this regard, the need of Business to Business contact between the two countries was underlined. The sides also discussed appointment of Honorary Consuls to enhance the cooperation. The Latvian Under-Secretary of State mentioned the growth trajectory that Bangladesh is going through. He also commended the role of Bangladesh Peace Keepers at the UN Missions.

The Bangladesh head of delegation briefed the Latvian side about the crisis Bangladesh is facing with the displaced Rohingya populations and sought the co-operation the Latvian government in this regard. At the Consultations, both sides discussed the matters related to mutual support and cooperation at the UN.