State-owned and municipal companies in Latvia involved in building or maintaining critical infrastructure have begun dismissing Russian and Belarusian citizens, LETA reports. Under amendments to the law on national security, Russian and Belarusian citizens may not be employed in jobs with access to critical infrastructure. Latvian capital Riga’s municipal water utility, Rigas Udens, has terminated…
Ghana’s Foreign Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, arrived on a two-day working visit to Latvia on 2 February 2026, LSM reported. Ablakwa said that the immediate reason for his visit was to discuss the circumstances surrounding the death of an 18-year-old Ghanaian student in Riga in June 2025, GhanaWeb reported. Also, Ablakwa informed his Latvian counterpart,…
The new US ambassador to Latvia, Melissa Argyros, is expected to assume her diplomatic post in Riga in February 2026, Baltic News Network reports. She will replace the current US ambassador, Christopher Robinson. Argyros is a California-based real estate investor, holding several senior positions in the family’s real estate company, Arnel & Affiliates, the Argyros…
A member of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) died while on duty near the Latvian capital, Riga, on 29 January 2026, LSM reported. Gunner Sebastian Halmagean was deployed in Latvia as part of a Canadian-led NATO brigade. He had served in the CAF for almost three years, and this was his first overseas deployment.
The prime ministers of the Baltic States assured that the Rail Baltica railway from Tallinn to the Polish border would be completed on schedule, BNS reported. Speaking after a joint meeting in Riga, the three prime ministers pledged to secure maximum EU funding for the project. Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal stressed that the railway…
The new National Security Strategy (NSS) of the United States shows that the US understands the security sensitivities of the Baltic region, Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene stated, BNS reported. Speaking after a joint meeting with her Estonian and Latvian counterparts in Riga, Ruginiene said that the US had assured that it would not withdraw…
UAE’s state-owned air carrier, flydubai, has opened regular flights from the Latvian and Lithuanian capitals, Riga and Vilnius, to Dubai, LETA and ELTA reported. The company will have three flights per week on both routes. Jeyhun Efendi, senior vice-president for commercial operations at flydubai, said that the airline planned to open flights to the Estonian…
Estonia’s and Latvia’s state-owned passenger train operators, Elron and Pasazieru Vilciens (Vivi), will open a regular train service from Tallinn via Tartu to the Latvian capital, Riga, on 12 January 2026, ERR reports. Elron received permission from the European Union Agency for Railways (ERA) to use three new Stadler FLIRT diesel trains on Latvian railway…
Latvia’s Riga city council plans to sell the municipal housing company, Rigas Namu Parvaldnieks (RNP), LETA reports. Under the proposal, RNP would be reorganised and converted into a joint-stock company before the sale through a public securities offering. The plan is first to sell 51% of RNP’s shares. Individual investors would be a able to…