Israel wishes to intensify relations with Latvia - Israeli FM

RIGA - Israel considers Latvia a natural ally in this part of the world and therefore wants to intensify relations between our countries, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar told LETA in an interview during his visit to Latvia in early July.

He said that Latvia and the other Baltic States shared similar basic values with Israel. The Baltic States are independent, proud, small countries, which also face potential threats.

"I think that our desire to intensify relations between our countries is obvious. A month after my visit, the President of Israel will visit Latvia. In the past, we have probably had more visits by Latvian officials to Israel than by Israelis to Latvia, but we are now working hard to re-balance the relationship," said Saar.

He highlighted the security cooperation between Latvia and Israel, which has become increasingly close in recent years. Saar also sees potential for strengthening economic ties. The Minister assessed the diplomatic ties between the two countries as good, as there is an ongoing dialogue, while he described his personal relations with the Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braze (New Unity) as very cordial and friendly.

"We discuss security and defense challenges with Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, and in a way I have to say that the countries of the eastern part of Europe seem to be more realistic when analyzing the geopolitical situation than the countries of the western part of the continent, for a number of reasons. It is therefore very valuable for me to come here and discuss these issues with Latvian officials," said Saar.

The Israeli Foreign Minister said that the areas of security and defense cooperation were the most important areas of joint work, and cooperation in these areas had grown rapidly in recent years.

"I believe that we have very advanced defense and security systems that can help Latvia strengthen its security. They proved their quality during our operation in Iran, so they can be useful for Latvia as well. The contacts between our countries' companies in this field started to intensify immediately after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine. I hope that they will continue to deepen in the future," Saar told LETA.

Asked about Latvia's opportunities to benefit from Israel's experience, the head of the Israeli Foreign Ministry highlighted Israel's extensive experience in repelling cyber attacks, which is also relevant for the Baltic States. Israel has also gained a great deal of experience in emergency situations, as well as in preparing civil society for emergencies, counter-terrorism and health systems. These and other topics are also discussed by Israelis with Latvians.

"We have invited the Latvian Interior Minister Rihards Kozlovskis (New Unity) to visit Israel, where he will be able to discuss border security challenges, such as the border between Belarus and Latvia - how to prevent illegal immigration. Israel is very experienced in these aspects and our countries are cooperating and consulting on them. I came to deepen this cooperation. In order to continue this process, the Latvian Foreign Minister will also visit Israel after my visit, in addition to the Interior Minister," said Saar.

There are not many serious outstanding issues between our countries, only the issue of dual citizenship is being worked on, Saar added.

He also said that Israel wants to strengthen the ties not only between our governments but also between our people. "We have a significant Jewish community that immigrated from Latvia, they have positive feelings towards Latvia. Some of them came during the Soviet period, in the early 1970s, some after the Soviet Union collapsed. So we have this bridge of people between Latvia and Israel. I know some Jews myself who have come from Latvia and they love it very much," said the Israeli Foreign Minister.

While wishing peace to the people of Latvia, he added that "to have peace, you have to be well prepared".