The new Latvian Ambassador to the Czech Republic Vilmars Henins is determined to look for ways to promote Riga and Latvia so that they appear more and more often in Czech travel plans as an attractive and interesting place to spend their holidays.
As the ambassador told LETA, Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, is already a popular destination for Latvians, so promoting tourism is an important aspect of relations between the two countries. Henins supports the initiative of the cities of Bauska and Nachod to create a regional tourist guide, taking advantage of the historical links of the last Duke of Courland, Peter Biron, and his family with the Czech Republic.
At the same time, the ambassador noted that trade turnover has increased since the end of the Covid-19 pandemic, with exports rising by an average of 15 percent per year. This indicates that the potential for cooperation is “far from exhausted”. As an example, Henins highlighted the significant progress in space cooperation, which needs to be further developed.
The new ambassador also believes that an important element in strengthening cultural cooperation is the provision of Latvian language studies at Charles University in Prague, where they began in 1923, as well as at Masaryk University in Brno, which should continue to provide the necessary support. “In general, cooperation between Latvian and Czech universities is active, there is a growing interest in intensifying it and the Embassy’s task is to facilitate the development of such contacts,” said Henins.
Latvia and the Czech Republic are like-minded countries, Henins said, assessing current international challenges, noting that both countries stand firmly for the defense of democratic values and respect for international law.
“The dynamic nature of bilateral relations to date is one of the priorities, and it will be important to maintain the momentum of political dialogue by promoting both inter-sectoral and parliamentary contacts, including regular exchanges of visits,” said the ambassador to the Czech Republic.
Henins stresses that security and defense are and will remain one of the cornerstones of cooperation. This includes strengthening NATO’s Eastern flank, the Czech contingent’s participation in the NATO Enhanced Brigade and air patrol missions, as well as support to Ukraine through joint projects such as the Latvian-led drone coalition or the Czech initiative to procure artillery ammunition for Ukraine.
Henins stressed that it will be important for both countries to work together to move further towards curbing Russian aggression through various instruments, including sanctions.
The ambassador noted that he will assess the possibilities of promoting cooperation in the military industry. Also, in view of the growing hybrid threat, it would be useful to consult regularly on issues that have a negative impact on the resilience of society, the ambassador believes.
Source: BNS
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