The Investment and Development Agency of Latvia (LIAA) helped attract 45 foreign investment projects, which will create an estimated 2,023 new jobs, in 2024, LSM reports. The total value of the projects is EUR 655.4mn, which is up 6% from 2023. The biggest investments were in high-value-added manufacturing, ICT, energy, and aviation. LIAA’s target is…
US president-elect Donald Trump has nominated Estonian-born lawyer Roman Pipko for US ambassador to Estonia, ERR reports. The US Senate is expected to confirm the nomination. Pipko will replace George Kent, who assumed the ambassadorship in January 2023. Trump noted that Pipko worked at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the Russian-American Enterprise…
Latvia’s national air carrier, airBaltic, will cancel altogether 4,670 flights in summer 2025, LSM reports. The company will suspend flights on 19 routes and cut the number of flights on 21 routes. The cancellations will affect around 67,160 passengers. The company said that US manufacturer Pratt & Whitney’s engine maintenance work on the airline’s Airbus…
Estonia’s exports of services totalled EUR 3.2bn in the third quarter of 2024, which was up 8% from the same period of 2023, according to data from Statistics Estonia and the Bank of Estonia, ERR reports. Imports of services into Estonia totalled EUR 2.4bn, which was up 2% over a year. Estonia’s trade surplus in…
Baltic and Canadian foreign ministers met in the Latvian capital, Riga, on 2 December 2024, European Interest reported. The ministers discussed transatlantic relations as well as regional and global security and cooperation. Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braze stressed that containing Russia and providing strong support to Ukraine were essential for the long-term interests of transatlantic…
The crash of Spanish air carrier Swiftair’s cargo plane in the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius, on 25 November 2024 may have been caused by a technical fault or pilot error, LRT reports. One crew member perished in the incident. Surviving crew members had no indication of foul play, and investigators have found no evidence of terrorism….
The chairman of the foreign affairs committee of the Estonian parliament, the Riigikogu, Marko Mihkelson, urged South Korea to consider stronger support for Ukraine, including military assistance, The Korea Herald reports. If Russia prevails in its war of aggression against Ukraine, the stability and security situation will worsen not only in Europe but also in…
A public petition in Latvia is collecting signatures to restrict or ban US entrepreneur Elon Musk’s social media platform, X (former Twitter), in Latvia, BNS reports. The author of the legislative initiative, Gvido Grava, notes that an increasing volume of disinformation is being spread on X. He points out that X fails to comply with…
The US Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) has removed Latvia’s ABLV Bank from its list of financial institutions posing a risk of money laundering, LSM reports. The European Central Bank revoked ABLV’s banking licence in 2018 after FinCEN added the bank to the list. ABLV’s liquidation is now nearly complete, and the bank…