LATVIA IN REVIEW - Latvian Institute

Foreign Affairs
Latvian Foreign Ministry Officials Meets with Delegation from Uzbekistan
On April 3, the Head of the Economic and Bilateral Relations Directorate of the Foreign
Ministry, Ambassador Jānis Mažeiks met with the Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Chamber of
the Parliament of the Republic of Uzbekistan (Oliy Majlis), Chairman of the Executive
Committee of the Central Council of the Ecological Movement of Uzbekistan Boriy Alikhanov
and the delegation under his leadership. During the meeting, the parties discussed current
matters in the Latvian-Uzbek political and economic cooperation.
The Uzbek side made note of the good bilateral relations with Latvia and the deepening of those
relations as the aim of the visit. According to Uzbekistan’s statistics, Latvia is the fourth largest
trade partner of Uzbekistan from among the EU member states. Mr. Alikhanov highlighted
major ecological problems in the Central Asian region, including the problem of the Aral Sea,
and the limited water resources. The Uzbek side believes that those issues should be addressed in
line with international commitments. The Uzbek delegation noted that parliamentary diplomacy
was instrumental for building economic contacts. The parties also noted the potential for
cooperation between Latvia and Uzbekistan in the transit sector.
The Latvian side thanked Uzbekistan for support to the Embassy of Latvia in fulfilling the
functions of the NATO Contact Point Embassy last year and his year. It was indicated that in
order to achieve security in Afghanistan, attention should be devoted to the economic
development of the country, and Latvia sees a considerable potential in the development of the
transit sector. The Uzbek delegation was informed that, on 7-8 May, Rīga will host a workshop
organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Republic of Latvia and the Latvian Institute of
International Affairs on the transformation of the Northern Distribution Network into a
commercial transit route as one of the elements of economic development and cooperation of
Afghanistan and the region’s countries.
Further information about the workshop.
The delegation visiting the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also included Abdurashid Altiyev,
Chairman of the Committee for Budget and Economic Issues of the Senate of Olij Majlis, Sobir
Jabborov, Chairman of the Committee on the Issues of Industry, Construction and Trade of the
Legislative Chamber of Olij Majlis, and Kobilzon Nazarov, Ambassador of Uzbekistan to Latvia.
As part of the visit, the delegation of Uzbekistan also had meetings at the Saeima, the Ministry of
Environmental Protection and Regional Development, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry
of Latvia and the Latvian Investment and Development Agency. The Uzbek delegation is
staying in Latvia from 2 to 4 April.
Diplomatic relations between Latvia and Uzbekistan were established on 3 November 1992, and
this year marks the 20th anniversary of the occasion.
Mr. Boriy Alikhanov was born on 8 June 1961 in Tashkent. He received higher education at the
Tashkent Polytechnical Institute and earned a master’s degree in public administration from the
Academy for State and Society Construction. Mr. Alikhanov has held the posts of Deputy
Chairman of the Tashkent City Nature Conservation Committee, Head of the Administration
for the Economy and Organization of the Use of Natural Resources at the State Committee for
Nature Protection, Advisor to the Information Group of the National Security Council,
Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Ecological Movement of Uzbekistan.
Latvian Candidate Approved for European Commission Against Racism and Intolerance
On April 3, the Cabinet of Ministers approved the nomination of Kristīne Krūma, a judge of the
Constitutional Court, as an expert from Latvia for the work on the European Commission
against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI). Before an expert takes up a post on the ECRI, his or her
candidacy is evaluated and approved by the Meeting of the Ministers’ Deputies acting on behalf
of the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers.
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