The President of the Republic of Latvia, Edgars Rinkēvičs, has been received today at the Magistral Palace by the Grand Master of the Sovereign Order of Malta, Fra’ John Dunlap. President Rinkēvičs first visited the Order in 2022 as Foreign Minister. His predecessor to the presidency, Egils Levits, made an official visit to the Order of Malta in 2021.

The Grand Master expressed his satisfaction for the excellent state of diplomatic relations with Latvia, established in 1995, whose 30th anniversary will be celebrated next year, as well as his desire to further increase the Order of Malta’s humanitarian activities in the Baltic country. In 2021, a volunteer corps was set up here with the support of the Order’s embassy in Riga. The Latvian Ambassador to the Order of Malta, Elita Kuzma, and the Order’s Ambassador to Latvia, Alberto Bertoldi, were also present.

The Latvian president thanked the Order of Malta for its many social activities in the country. Today the Order’s volunteers are involved in various programmes in Riga and Saldus for vulnerable people and Ukrainian refugees, with a team of 15 Latvians and 15 Ukrainians.  These activities include charity events, soup kitchens, psychological assistance, language courses, integration activities, food distribution and hygiene kits.

The war in Ukraine, the reception of Ukrainian refugees and the crisis in Gaza were also discussed during the meeting.