France–Latvia relations are the bilateral relations between France and Latvia. Both countries are full members of the Council of Europe, European Union, NATO and the Eurozone.

History

France recognized Latvia on 26 January 1921. France never recognised the annexation of Latvia by the former Soviet Union. France re-recognized Latvia on 27 August 1991 and both established diplomatic relations on 30 August 1991.[1]

Since 2008, Latvia is an observer on the Francophonie.

France and Latvia enjoy warm relations as part of France's relations with all the Baltic states. The countries have been strategic partners since an agreement was signed in Riga in May 2008. The plan was completed and ratified by a further agreement signed in 2012. In February 2017, the defense ministers of France and Latvia signed an international defense agreement in Paris.

The France-Latvia Economic Forum was held in Riga in May 2014. Another forum was held in Paris in October 2017.

In 2018, Latvia's centenary celebrations were held in both Latvia and France. An exhibition on Baltic symbolism was held at the Musée d'Orsay from April to July 2018. There is a French school in Riga called "Lycee Francais de Riga".

High level visits

High-level visits from France to Latvia

High-level visits from Latvia to France

  • In 2005 Latvian President Vaira Vika-Freiberga visited Paris and was a guest at the Elysee Palace.
  • On 16 November 2016 visit of Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkēvičs to Paris on the occasion of 25 years of the establishment of diplomatic relations.
  • On 17 April 2019, Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš in Strasbourg addressed the European Parliament, arguing that it was "useless" to just fight against the rise of populism, and that it was necessary in the first place to understand the grievances of people who listened to the promises of populists.[4]
  • On 1 December 2021, Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš met with President Emmanuel Macron and Mathias Cormann, Secretary General of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in Paris.[5]
  • On 15 December 2023, President Edgars Rinkēvičs paid a working visit to Paris to met with President Emmanuel Macron to discuss European security and the EU budget.[6]
  • On 25–28 July 2024, President Edgars Rinkēvičs attended the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.[7]
  • On 1 October 2024, Prime Minister Evika Siliņa attended the 70th-anniversary celebrations of the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Cessy, near Geneva. During this visit, she toured the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) cavern and the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) tunnel. This event was significant as it marked a milestone in scientific collaboration and innovation.[8]
  • On 27 March 2025, Prime Minister Evika Siliņa attended a meeting of the "Coalition of the willing" in Paris hosted by President Macron.[9]

Resident diplomatic missions

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Dates of establishment and renewal of diplomatic relations". mfa.gov.lv. 17 February 2021. Archived from the original on 8 January 2022. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
  2. ↑ "EEAS". Archived from the original on 3 May 2022. Retrieved 14 May 2015.
  3. ↑ "Merkel, Hollande and Tsipras to Talk at Riga Summit". WSJ. 21 May 2015.
  4. ↑ Nagla, Ilze; Kolohovs, Artjoms (17 April 2019). "Kariņš uzrunā Eiroparlamentā: Ar populistiem nav vērts cīnīties". www.lsm.lv (in Latvian). Archived from the original on 2019-04-21. Retrieved 2019-05-09.
  5. ↑ https://www.mk.gov.lv/en/article/prime-minister-pay-visit-paris
  6. ↑ "President Rinkēvičs in Paris". LSM.lv. 15 December 2023. Retrieved 19 April 2026.
  7. ↑ "President to attend Paris Olympics". The Baltic Times. 25 July 2024. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
  8. ↑ https://www.flickr.com/photos/valstskanceleja/54035489323/
  9. ↑ Visegrád 24 [@visegrad24] (27 March 2025). "List of the leaders & representatives of 31 countries gathering in Paris right now for an emergency summit on Ukraine aimed at providing military aid & setting up a coalition of peacekeeping forces" (Tweet). Retrieved 29 March 2025 – via X (formerly Twitter).{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  10. ↑ "French embassy in Riga (in French and Latvian only)". Ambafrance-lv.org. Archived from the original on 4 December 2000. Retrieved 10 June 2011.
  11. ↑ "Latvian embassy in Paris (in French and Latvian only)". Am.gov.lv. Retrieved 10 June 2011.
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/France–Latvia_relations