Latvia agreed to strengthen cooperation in the fields of security and sustainable development with India, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported.
This week, political consultations took place in Riga between the ministries of foreign affairs of Latvia and India. The State Secretary of the Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Andžejs Vilumsons, and the Secretary for Western Affairs of the Indian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sibi George, discussed current issues in bilateral relations, including opportunities for economic cooperation.
Before the consultations, George met with the Latvian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Baiba Braže, who stated that India is an important partner for Latvia and the EU.
During the conversation, the parties exchanged views on ways to achieve sustainable peace in Ukraine and Latvia's position regarding Russia, including the necessity of maintaining sanctions pressure.
Regarding sanctions pressure: According to data for the 2024-25 fiscal year, purchases of crude oil from Russia by Indian companies are estimated at approximately $50.3 billion. This is India's contribution to the Russian economy. In turn, Latvia invested about 0.3% of its GDP in Ukraine over the year. This amounts to around 120 million euros.
Vilumsons advised the Indian representative to maintain international pressure on Russia. He pointed out the need to prevent circumvention of sanctions, especially in the energy sector, including the use of a "shadow fleet" and infrastructure of third countries.
