MINSK, 1 August (BelTA) – Einars Semanis was appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Latvia to Belarus. The diplomat received credentials from Latvian President Egils Levits on 1 August, BelTA learned from the press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus.
Einars Semanis joined the Latvian diplomatic service in 1993. He held a number of senior positions within the foreign ministry, worked as advisor in the Latvian Embassy in China and the United States of America. He was Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Latvia to China, Finland, Poland and Lithuania.
The Latvian Embassy in Belarus had previously been led by Martins Virsis.
Belarus-Latvia relations are rapidly developing. In July Latvian Minister of Foreign Affairs Edgars Rinkevics met with Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko. The diplomat confirmed the Latvian president's invitation for Aleksandr Lukashenko to visit Latvia. The Belarusian head of state answered that he will visit Latvia in the near future.
Diplomatic relations between Belarus and Latvia were established on 7 April 1992. Belarus and Latvia have their embassies in the partner state, as well as consulates in Vitebsk and Daugavpils. Belarus and Latvia are expanding their contacts at inter-agency and interregional levels. The number of pairs of cities and regions that signed twin-town and cooperation agreements has reached 60. Contacts between the two capitals have become more vibrant, too. In 2018 bilateral trade amounted to $582.7 million, up over 32% compared with the previous year. Belarusian export reached $485.6 million. In 2018 Latvia was Belarus' 14th biggest trading partner and 10th biggest importer of Belarusian products.
