Braze to attend the same forum in UAE as Lavrov, but will not interact with Russian representatives

RIGA - Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braze (New Unity) has left for the Sir Bani Yas forum in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), where Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will also participate, but the Foreign Ministry stresses that there will be no interaction with the Russian representatives.

According to the minister's aide Signe Znotina-Znota, Braze was personally invited by the UAE Foreign Minister to attend this high-level closed forum, which is organized by the UAE Foreign Ministry in cooperation with the US think tank Atlantic Council.

Znotina-Znota highlighted that the forum focuses on the Middle East, transatlantic relations and security policy issues, including the Latvian Foreign Minister's speech on Russia's war in Ukraine and the impact of Russia's policies on other regions of the world.

Znotina-Znota also stressed that the full list of participants is not available, but it is known that representatives of the Middle East countries, the US and ministers from several European Union countries will attend. The minister is not expected to interact with the Russian representatives.

The minister's adviser explained that the minister takes decisions on participation in events in accordance with Latvia's foreign policy priorities, without allowing them to be influenced by Russia or other countries.

Znotina-Znota explained that the attendees of the Sir Bani Yas Forum are not informed about the other invitees. The Latvian Foreign Minister learned about Lavrov's participation from publicly available information.

According to the Foreign Ministry, Braze will attend the Sir Bani Yas forum in the UAE until Sunday, November 17.

The Sir Bani Yas Forum, organized by the Atlantic Council think tank in collaboration with the Foreign Ministry of the United Arab Emirates, is a high-profile meeting attended by global opinion leaders, foreign ministers and other officials and experts. The discussion focuses on significant geopolitical challenges, including regional conflicts.

A tweet by the Russian Foreign Ministry suggests that also Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov is also attending the Sir Bani Yas Forum.