Latvia creates stronger ties with Iran, Iraq

  • 2013-10-16
  • TBT Staff

RIGA - Latvia’s first ambassador to Iran and Iraq has been unveiled. President of Latvia Andris Berzins presented credentials to diplomat Atis Sjanits at a special ceremony on Oct 14, reports LETA. A statement from the Foreign Ministry of Latvia said Latvia’s Presidency of the EU Council in 2015 and economic ties were among reasons for the announcement.

The statement read: “In recent years, cooperation between Latvia and the Republic of Iraq, including the autonomous Kurdistan Region in northern Iraq, has successfully progressed. Latvian entrepreneurs currently provide consultations on environmental matters, and the interest of other Latvian businesses is also gradually increasing with regard to exports of goods and services. The EU-Iraq Partnership and Cooperation Agreement will further strengthen the efforts from the Latvian side to develop cooperation in the future.”

Sjanits began working for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1992 as head of the General Affairs Division. He has since worked in Lithuania, Canada and Ukraine.

The new appointee will reside in Ankara, Turkey.