On 25 April in Brussels, Secretary-General Julie Bynens received a delegation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia, headed by Ambassador Andris Razāns, to discuss the Flemish-Latvian cooperation.
The Flemish and Latvian delegations jointly prepared a declaration to reaffirm their cooperation. Among other things, the cooperation possibilities in the field of renewable energy and the rollout of 5G were further explored. Strengthening the relations between the ports of Antwerp and Riga and between the ports of Ostend and Liepāja were also discussed.
The Flemish delegation was very interested in learning more about the cooperation Latvia is developing with countries, regions and local authorities in Central and Eastern Europe. At the request of the Latvian delegation, the Flemish cooperation in southern Africa was elaborated upon. The programme of the mission of Minister-president Jambon to the three Baltic States mid-May was also discussed.
During the meeting, the situation in the Ukraine was explicitly discussed. Both Latvia and Flanders are making great efforts to receive refugees. Latvia, with its 1.9 million inhabitants, is prepared to receive 40,000 refugees temporarily.
