OREANDA-NEWS. July 13, 2012. Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis, during the 6th annual meeting of Honorary Consuls of Latvia stated that after overcoming the crisis the national priorities are competitiveness, investment and export. He emphasized that the contribution of Honorary Consuls in achieving sustainable growth is particularly important.

The Prime Minister expressed gratitude for the work of Honorary Consuls in promoting the recognition of Latvia in countries of residence by participating in the organization of visits and strengthening the economic and cultural ties.

"A network of Honorary Consuls of Latvia is a valuable instrument that provides significant contribution to promotion of business, culture and other areas of Latvia abroad. In view of the overarching objective of the National Development Plan of Latvia - to achieve economic breakthrough, I urge you to particularly focus on the development of business and investment relations, because very often the Honorary Consuls' experience and knowledge help the Latvian enterprises to enter the foreign markets," said the Prime Minister of Latvia. Currently the economic slowdown can be observed in Europe, therefore, V.Dombrovskis called on the Honorary Consuls to pay a special attention to enhancing the cooperation of Latvia with the regions which demonstrate more dynamic growth rates, including the Gulf region, the USA and Brazil.

The Prime Minister stressed that Latvia has shown that it can respond effectively to crisis situations and adapt to changing global economic conditions. "The overcome crisis and the economic recovery are indicative of the fact that by the public support the government has taken the right steps, including the adoption of unpopular decisions. The government is committed to further improve the investment environment in Latvia and the contribution of Honorary Consuls to attaining this goal is invaluable," said the Prime Minister.

The Prime Minister informed the Honorary Consuls about the trends in economic development in Latvia and Northern Europe, emphasizing that the Baltic Sea region has become the most stable and dynamic region in Europe. At the conclusion of his speech, the Prime Minister confirmed Latvia's commitment to join the euro area in 2014, emphasizing that the euro is one of the most essential instruments for the economic stability of Latvia.

95 Honorary Consuls representing 50 world countries participated at the meeting. During the meeting, the issues pertaining to the economic situation in Latvia, current development in tourism and culture, public diplomacy and current development in consular work were discussed.
 
This week, after the conclusion of the visit of the U.S. business delegation in Latvia, Valdis Dombrovskis presented the Letters of Appreciation of the Prime Minister to five Honorary Consuls of Latvia to the USA - Juris Bunkis, Roberts Blumbergs, Liga Hoja, Daris Gunars Delins, Stephan Payne and his assistant Sandija Bayot for their contribution to enhancing the economic cooperation of Latvia and the USA.

At the end of 2011, Latvia had 140 registered Honorary Consuls and 13 Honorary Consuls-General abroad. Honorary Consul or Honorary Consul-General of the Republic of Latvia is a person to whom the Republic of Latvia entrusts consular and representation functions under the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations as of 1963, international customs, consular conventions concluded by the Republic of Latvia and other international treaties effective in the Republic of Latvia, the Diplomatic and Consular Service Law and other laws and regulations. Both, a citizen of the Republic of Latvia and a citizen of a foreign country can take a position of an Honorary Consul. Honorary Consul shall have an excellent reputation. Honorary Consul is neither a civil servant nor an employee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.