BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 8. The Minister of
Foreign Affairs of Latvia, Baiba Braže, welcomed the Minister of
Foreign and European Affairs of Croatia, Gordan Grlić Radman, on a
visit to Latvia, Trend reports.
The Ministers discussed cooperation at the bilateral and
regional level, and in international organisations – NATO, EU, UN –
further support to Ukraine and constraining Russia, including the
need to strengthen sanctions.
The officials also discussed the experience of, and progress
made by the two countries in enhancing their energy independence,
as well as current topics on the EU agenda, including the next
Multiannual Financial Framework and strengthening the EU’s external
borders.
Foreign Minister Baiba Braže: “Latvia and Croatia have very good
relations and bilateral dialogue. I would like to thank Croatia for
its support to Ukraine, as well as its contribution to the security
and defence of the Baltic region – the presence of the Croatian
contingent in the German-led NATO Multinational Battle Group in
Lithuania. Close Allied and transatlantic unity is critical to
achieving a sustainable and lasting peace in Ukraine and
constraining Russia. We are of the same mind – in order to promote
the peace process, pressure must be maintained, including sanctions
against Russia, and a comprehensive support to Ukraine must
continue.”
At the meeting, Minister Grlić Radman confirmed that Croatia is
planning to join the Drone Coalition, co-led by Latvia together
with the United Kingdom.
The Ministers discussed the ways to expand economic cooperation,
in particular, in ICT and the field of hi-tech and drone
technologies. Trade between Latvia and Croatia has increased in
recent years. According to data from the Central Statistics Bureau,
last year’s total foreign trade turnover with Croatia was 75.4
million euros, an increase by 42 percent compared to 2023.
The Ministers also exchanged views on opportunities for
cooperation in knowledge-intensive areas, such as pharmaceuticals,
medical technologies and artificial intelligence, as well as in
tourism. In the summer season, regular air traffic is already
operational between Latvia and Croatia: direct flights by airBaltic
connect Riga to the Croatian cities of Split and Dubrovnik.
The Three Seas Initiative (3SI) has a major role to play in
promoting regional connectivity; in light of that, Baiba Braže
wished Croatia success with hosting the Three Seas Summit in
2026.
As part of his stay, the Minister of Foreign and European
Affairs, Gordan Grlić Radman met with the President of Latvia
Edgars Rinkēvičs, the Director of the NATO Strategic Communications
Centre of Excellence, Jānis Sārts, and members of the Saeima (the
Latvian Parliament) Foreign Affairs Committee and the Group for
Promoting Cooperation with the Parliament of Croatia.
Gordan Grlić Radman delivered a lecture, “Medium Sized EU Member
States and the Future of European Security: A Croatian
Perspective”, at the University of Latvia.