Official Visit by Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan to the Republic of Latvia, 31 March to 1 April 2026

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2 April 2026

Official Visit by Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan to the Republic of Latvia, 31 March to 1 April 2026

Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan made an Official Visit to the Republic of Latvia, from 31 March to 1 April 2026 at the invitation of Latvian Minister of Foreign Affairs Baiba Braže. This marked Minister Balakrishnan's first visit to Latvia in his capacity as Minister for Foreign Affairs. In Riga, Minister Balakrishnan called on President Edgars Rinkēvičs, met Deputy Speaker of the Saeima (Parliament) Ms Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica and was hosted to dinner by Parliamentary Secretary Mr Artjoms Uršuļskis on 31 March. On 1 April, Minister Balakrishnan called on Prime Minister Evika Siliņa and met Minister Braže, who also hosted him to lunch.

In the meetings, Minister Balakrishnan reaffirmed the warm and growing relations between Singapore and Latvia, and explored opportunities to strengthen bilateral cooperation. These include trade, the digital economy, innovation, cybersecurity and people-to-people exchanges. Both sides also welcomed further economic links between both countries through the European Union (EU)-Singapore Free Trade Agreement and the EU-Singapore Digital Trade Agreement. They expressed support to deepen collaboration between the EU and ASEAN, as well as the EU and members of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).

Minister Balakrishnan and the Latvian leaders exchanged views on regional and international developments, and agreed on the importance for both countries to continue cooperating in multilateral forums like the United Nations. As small, open and globally connected states, both sides underscored the importance of upholding international law and a rules-based international order.

As part of his visit, Minister Balakrishnan took part in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Freedom Monument in Riga. He also engaged in a roundtable discussion with members of Latvia's Foreign Affairs Expert Council, where he shared Singapore's perspectives on geopolitical developments. Minister Balakrishnan and Minister Braže gave a joint doorstop interview at the end of their meeting. The transcript of Minister Balakrishnan's remarks is at Annex.

Minister Balakrishnan will depart Latvia for a visit to Greece on 2 April 2026.

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MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

SINGAPORE

2 APRIL 2026

ANNEX

TRANSCRIPT OF MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS DR VIVIAN BALAKRISHNAN'S REMARKS AT THE JOINT DOORSTOP INTERVIEW WITH MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE REPUBLIC OF LATVIA BAIBA BRAŽE, 1 APRIL 2026

Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan: Thank you, [Minister Braže]. We have met in Singapore, as well as other parts of the world, regularly, but this is my first opportunity to be here in Riga, in Latvia.

Singapore and Latvia are geographically very far apart, and of course, the weather is very different. But in my interactions with you, and also in studying the unique history and trajectory of Latvia, I have come to appreciate that our strategic perspectives are actually very closely aligned. We are both small states, we depend on international law, we depend on the UN Charter, we depend on the principles of respect for territorial integrity, sovereign equality, and the independence of free people. We depend also on the concepts of economic integration, free trade, and global supply chains. On all these, it would be found that our alignment on these big issues is absolutely congruent.

We look forward to building on this already excellent diplomatic foundation. Some of the discussions which we have had today were first, on building up greater bilateral economic ties, as well as between our two regions - you in the Baltic area, in the EU, and for us in the heart of Southeast Asia.

We know that there are many crises all over the world, and the Ukraine war, unfortunately, is still ongoing. There is much attention now on the war in the Middle East and the economic impact of it which we expect will be global. But even in the midst of all this crisis, it is all the more relevant for us to double down on our cooperation, to support each other both bilaterally as well as at international fora. So thank you once again for your very warm hospitality.