On 17-27 September, President Edgars Rinkēvičs will pay a working visit to the United States of America. At the beginning of the working visit, from 17 to 21 September, President Rinkēvičs, together with the Minister of Economics and a delegation of Latvian entrepreneurs, will visit California State in the U.S., and from 22 to 27 September, the President of Latvia will visit New York to participate in the opening of the 79th session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly.
The aim of the visit is to raise Latvia’s competitiveness by expanding the export market for Latvian companies and attracting investment. The President of Latvia and the accompanying delegation will visit several of the world’s leading high-tech companies – META, Google, OpenAI, and Groq. He will also visit Silicon Valley's Ames Research Centre of the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). During the meeting with representatives of the companies and the research centre, special attention will be paid to issues related to the development of artificial intelligence solutions and possible cooperation with Latvia and its entrepreneurs in the implementation of joint projects. The visit will also entail participation in a startup networking event with potential investors organised by Mach49 in cooperation with TechChill and Storm Ventures.
During the visit, the President of Latvia will participate in a roundtable discussion with Stanford University representatives, including Condoleezza Rice, Director of the Hoover Institution and former U.S. Secretary of State, and Francis Fukuyama, Senior Fellow at the Freeman-Spogli Institute for International Studies at Stanford University.
The President of Latvia is scheduled to meet Latvians living in California, and several interviews with U.S. media outlets are planned.
The President's address to the UN General Assembly is scheduled for 25 September at approximately midnight Latvian time. In his address, E. Rinkēvičs will focus on the issue of Russia's aggression against Ukraine and its threat to the rules-based international order. He will also address the situation in the Middle East and the importance of achieving the global Sustainable Development Goals.
During his visit to New York, the President will participate in the Summit of the Future, the UN Security Council's open debate on upholding international peace and security, a high-level meeting on addressing the existential threat posed by rising sea levels, and a Clinton Global Initiative discussion on the social impact of artificial intelligence solutions.
During the UN General Assembly, the Presidents of the Baltic states will meet with UN Secretary-General António Guterres and Polish President Andrzej Duda. The President of Latvia will also hold several bilateral meetings, including with the leaders of the Central African Republic, the Republic of Guinea-Bissau, the State of Kuwait, the Principality of Monaco, the Republic of Malawi, the Palestinian Authority, the Republic of Seychelles, the Kingdom of Swatini and other countries. The agenda of these meetings will cover bilateral relations and cooperation in international organisations, support for Ukraine, and the advocacy of Latvia's candidacy for a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council for 2026-2027.
In New York, the President of Latvia will also attend an informal meeting on global geopolitical challenges organised by the World Economic Forum (Davos Forum) and meet with Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI.
President Rinkēvičs is invited to a reception hosted by U.S. President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden.