Latvia’s ambassador hails 100 years of friendship with the UK

Her Excellency Ivita Burmistre said her nation would never forget the support the UK gave when Latvia gained its independence more than 100 years ago.

“We will always be grateful to the UK for the help the British Royal Navy gave to us during our independence war in 1918-19,” she said.

“And we will never forget that you were one of the first countries that recognised Latvia internationally in 1921 - and you continued to recognise our diplomats, despite Soviet occupation.

“There are so many ties that link us together and I hope we can extend those ties between our Parliaments.”

Ambassador Burmistre made the comments during an introductory meeting arranged by Sir Lindsay as part of his Speaker-led UK parliamentary diplomacy to establish enduring ties between countries and parliamentarians.

The pair discussed the security situation in the Baltic region, post-Covid economic recovery and bilateral trading relations. They also agreed that gender should prove no barrier to education or a high-flying career.

Ms Burmistre, who has a history of campaigning to improve education for girls, particularly in her previous role as Latvian ambassador to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), said she was in the process of creating a gender equality network, which she hoped could have links across the UK.

“We are close partners and share common democratic values, so I would like us to see how we can learn from each other to promote gender equality in the public/private sector and in Parliament,” she said.

Sir Lindsay said he had worked hard to encourage more women to apply for senior jobs within Parliament - but he was still concerned about the safety of female MPs, their staff and families, following unprecedented levels of attacks and threats via social media.

“When good MPs tell me that they had no intention of standing again for election because of the abuse they have faced from online trolls, something is seriously wrong,” he said.

“Social media can be a force for good when it is disseminating news, but it can also take a sinister turn when it puts women off from entering politics.”

The Speaker and Ambassador also discovered a shared love of gardening – and talked about Latvia’s gift of a Christmas tree to the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office as a sign of its "deep appreciation" of the links between the two countries.