Israel–Latvia Relations

Latvia's Supreme Council adopted a unanimous resolution titled "On Relations with Israel" on August 29, 1991, following appeals by the Latvian Jewish Cultural Society and Latvia's Foreign Ministry.[5] The resolution formally recognized Israel's independence and called on the Latvian government to establish diplomatic and other bilateral relations as soon as possible.[5] Diplomatic relations were formally established on January 6, 1992.[1][2]

Israel moved quickly to open an embassy in Riga in October 1992 — the first Israeli diplomatic mission in the Baltic states.[2] Latvia reciprocated by opening its embassy in Tel Aviv on February 5, 1995.[1] As of 2006, Latvia also maintained an honorary consulate general and an honorary consulate in Israel.[6] The National Library of Israel's Dan Hadani Archive catalogs a 1994 item titled "Latvian Prime Ministerial Visit," with Hebrew and English listed as associated languages, reflecting the early diplomatic activity of that period.[7]

On February 27–28, 1994, Latvian Prime Minister Valdis Birkavs led a delegation to Israel and held negotiations with Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin.[5] During that visit, agreements were concluded on investment promotion and reciprocal protection, entering into force on May 9, 1995, and on education, culture, and science, entering into force on November 7, 1995.[5] A bilateral air-transport agreement had already been concluded in November 1993 and entered into force in April 1996.[5] Additional agreements covering diplomatic and service-passport visa waivers, telecommunications and posts, cooperation against illicit drug trafficking and serious crime, and ordinary-passport visa waivers followed in subsequent years, with the last of those entering into force on May 11, 2001.[5]

The 1990s saw a sustained exchange of senior officials. Knesset Speaker Shevah Weiss visited Latvia's Saeima from August 30 to September 1, 1994, and his successor Dan Tichon visited Riga on January 12, 1999.[5] Latvian President Guntis Ulmanis made an official visit to Israel on February 23–25, 1998, meeting Israeli President Ezer Weizman.[5] During those talks, the two presidents emphasized examining all aspects of Latvian–Jewish history, giving particular attention to Holocaust history. Ulmanis expressed regret to Weizman that some Latvians had participated in implementing the Holocaust; Weizman responded that investigating the past should provide a firm basis for strengthening relations.[5] Ulmanis said: "I call on the public of Latvia to be aware of the whole truth of the past. There were Latvians who took part in the killing of the Jews, and there were also Latvians who rescued Jews."[5]

In spring 1998, Riga renamed the former Lazaretes Street as Jeruzalemes (Jerusalem) Street in connection with the 50th anniversary of Israel's independence.[5] Congresses of Latvian Jews living in Western countries and Israel were held in Riga in 1994, 1997, and 2001, alongside international "Jews in the Changing World" conferences.[5]

Latvian President Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga conducted a state visit to Israel in February 2006. A contemporary Globes report associated the visit with the signing of a double-taxation agreement by Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and Latvia's accompanying finance minister in the presence of Israeli President Moshe Katsav; an earlier Globes report had dated the signing to January 18, 2006.[8][9] Vīķe-Freiberga noted that more than 100 Israeli businesspeople and entrepreneurs were already active in Latvia, and the visit included efforts to expand direct air links between Israel and Riga.[9]

Latvian President Egils Levits conducted a state visit to Israel in November 2022, at which Israeli President Isaac Herzog described the two countries as "natural allies" with shared values and common interests.[10] Herzog identified trade, commerce, joint scientific research, and academic collaboration as areas for deepening the relationship.[10] In August 2025, Herzog was scheduled to visit the Baltic states and meet President Edgars Rinkēvičs. The stated regional agenda encompassed efforts to secure the release of hostages held by Hamas, Israel's diplomatic campaign, economic and security cooperation, pressure on Iran, visits to Holocaust memorial sites, and working meetings with an Israeli economic delegation.[11]

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar visited Latvia on July 2, 2025, meeting President Rinkēvičs at the Latvian president's official summer residence.[12] The two discussed bilateral relations and the situation in the Middle East, particularly regarding Iran and Gaza, and Sa'ar thanked Latvia for its support following the October 7 attacks and for a subsequent solidarity visit to Israel.[12]

In May 2014, Latvia's parliament launched an Israel Allies Caucus, alongside a simultaneous launch in Estonia's parliament, with the involvement of the Knesset Christian Allies Caucus, World Jewish Congress Israel, and the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem.[13] WJC Israel chairman Shai Hermesh said the establishment of these caucuses "represents an important extension" of ties between Israel and Christians around the world.[13] The Christian gatherings held alongside the parliamentary launches in Riga and Tallinn each drew more than 800 people, and the launches brought the total number of parliamentary caucuses in the Israel Allies Foundation network to 30.[13]

In June 2024, Latvian parliament Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Rihards Kols and the pro-Israel European Leadership Network co-hosted an interparliamentary conference at the Latvian parliament.[3] Participants discussed Iran–Russia cooperation and its implications for Israel and other democracies; Institute for National Security Studies fellow Danny Citrinowicz argued that Russian backing was important to Iran's ability to evade sanctions and that the April 13, 2024 Iranian missile and drone attack on Israel could not have happened without the support of a superpower.[3] Conference participants described the cooperation between Iran and Russia as making it "more acute than ever" for Israel and like-minded democracies to work together.[3]

The bilateral legal framework between Israel and Latvia is extensive. The Israeli Embassy's timeline of relations records agreements covering economic cooperation, investment protection, education, culture and science, air transport and air services, agriculture and rural development, telecommunications and postal services, tourism, customs assistance, and health and medicine.[2] Additional agreements address visas, combating drug trafficking and serious crime, defense-industrial cooperation, protection of classified information in defense and military cooperation, avoidance of double taxation, and employment for family members of diplomatic missions.[2] A U.S. Department of State report on Israel's investment climate lists a bilateral investment treaty between Israel and Latvia as being in force.[14]

Contemporary Globes reports gave different dates for the signing of the double-taxation treaty: a January 19, 2006 report said it had been signed the previous day, while a February 21 report associated its signing with President Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga's state visit.[8][9] The January report described the treaty as based on the OECD model and as a step toward greater certainty and stability for international business. It set source-country withholding rates of 5% on royalties, 5% on interest paid to banks, 10% on other interest, and either 5% or 15% on dividends depending on ownership thresholds.[8]

Bilateral trade in 2022 reached €116.1 million: Israeli exports to Latvia totaled €27.7 million, while imports from Latvia amounted to €88.4 million.[15] Israeli exports included mechanical and electrical equipment, machinery, plastics, metals, and foodstuffs; Latvian exports to Israel comprised wood, wheat, mechanical and electrical equipment, optics, pharmaceuticals, and foodstuffs.[15] In 2023, Latvia's Investment and Development Agency maintained an office in Israel, and three to four direct flights per week operated between the two countries.[15] The Israel Export Institute characterized bilateral trade as small but carrying growth potential.[15]

In June 2023, Israel's Innovation Authority and the Latvian Investment and Development Agency signed a cooperation agreement to enable entrepreneurs, researchers, and organizations in both countries to collaborate on research and commercialization of innovation, including in climate, green energy, health, and biotechnology.[16][17] Israel Innovation Authority chairman Ami Applebaum described the agreement as an opportunity for knowledge exchange, technology transfer, and combining new advances with established industrial practices.[1] The two sides planned jointly financed project calls and discussed participation in European funding programs such as Eureka and Horizon.[16]

A three-year intergovernmental program covering culture, sports, education, and science was signed in May 2023 by the heads of the cultural-relations divisions of both foreign ministries.[18] The program aimed to strengthen bilateral relations, raise awareness of each country's history and culture — especially among young people — and encourage institutional and cultural exchanges in music, theater, visual arts, design, cinema, and dance.[18]

In February 2022, Latvia's parliament approved a law allocating $40 million over ten years to the Latvian Jewish community, including support for Jewish institutions and cultural projects and social and material assistance for Holocaust survivors.[10]

Security cooperation between Israel and Latvia took institutional form in February 2005, when Latvia's Defense Ministry and Israel signed a memorandum of understanding on security and industrial cooperation during a visit by Latvian Defense Ministry Secretary Edgars Rinkēvičs.[19] Rinkēvičs met senior Israeli Defense Ministry officials, including Director-General Amos Yaron, and visited Israel Aerospace Industries, Elbit, and Rafael.[19] The memorandum was described at the time as moving security ties toward operational cooperation, and Latvia's representative for investment and economic development in Israel noted that Latvia's military and security-sector reorganization created potential for Israeli exports and further bilateral cooperation.[19]

By 2026, defense cooperation had expanded substantially. Latvian Defense Minister Raivis Melnis visited Israel in September 2026, meeting Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz, Defense Ministry Director-General Amir Baram, and representatives of Rafael, Elbit, and Israel Aerospace Industries.[4] Melnis said Latvia was examining loitering and air-defense systems, among other products, and wanted Latvian military experts to learn from Israel's experience protecting borders from drones, missiles, proxy forces, and cyber threats.[4] Latvia was also exploring Iron Dome and other air-defense options, including possible anti-ballistic-missile systems, while participating in a collective European air-defense structure; Melnis expressed hope that delivery of desired systems could occur within three years of a decision.[4]

According to foreign sources cited by The Jerusalem Post, Latvia had previously purchased Rafael Spike missiles in deals worth around €200 million and Elbit's UT30 turret system.[4] Melnis said Latvia wanted to expand economic cooperation and friendship with Israel, and identified Iran as a threat not only to Israel but to the broader region and to Ukraine, where Iran supports Russia.[4]

Latvian parliamentarian Rihards Kols, then chairman of the Saeima's Foreign Affairs Committee, argued in 2023 that Latvia and Israel were like-minded because Latvia regarded Russia as an existential threat and Israel was wary of Iran.[17] He advocated making Israel a global NATO partner and said Latvia could learn from Israeli security, defense, and civil-defense experience.[17]

The history of Latvia's Jewish community — largely destroyed during the Holocaust — is a central dimension of the bilateral relationship. After Latvia regained independence in 1991, restrictions on Jewish life were removed and the community was reestablished.[20] July 4 was designated as Latvia's official Holocaust Memorial Day.[1]

Cooperation on Holocaust education and remembrance has been sustained and institutionalized. In 1998, the Latvian government contributed $25,000 to the International Fund for Needy Victims of Nazi Persecution and identified Holocaust education as a funding priority.[5] In 2000, Latvia's president and education minister participated in an international Holocaust forum in Stockholm, and in mid-2001 the government appointed a representative to coordinate a Latvian action plan for Holocaust education, research, and remembrance.[5] The Israeli Embassy in Riga presented "Righteous Among the Nations" awards to Latvian rescuers and their descendants in 2001.[5]

Latvia's History Commission researched crimes against humanity committed in Latvia between 1940 and 1956 under Nazi and Soviet rule and developed teaching materials for schools; Holocaust study became compulsory in Latvian secondary schools.[1] The Commission and the University of Latvia's Center for Judaic Studies co-hosted a Holocaust research conference in 2001, and the Center helped mount a traveling Latvian Jewish history exhibition.[1] Exhibitions about Anne Frank were held in Riga in 2000 and 2001, and 5,000 Latvian-language copies of Elie Wiesel's Night were published in 2001 for distribution to Latvian schools.[1] Latvia endorsed the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's working definition of antisemitism in April 2023.[1]

Between 1989 and 2000, 12,624 Jews and non-Jewish family members emigrated from Latvia to Israel, according to the Jewish Agency.[5] Latvian statistics separately recorded a decrease of 11,680 Jews in Latvia during that period due to repatriation to Israel and emigration to Western countries.[5] At the time described in the relevant source, approximately 800 Latvian citizens lived in Israel.[5]

The Israeli Embassy in Riga and Israel's Foreign Ministry support ongoing Jewish communal life in Latvia. Riga's secular Dubnov School, founded in 1989 as the first Jewish school in the Soviet Union, operates in conjunction with Israel's Ministry of Culture; together with Chabad's Jewish Private School, the two institutions teach close to 500 students.[1] Latvia's Shalom Club conducts community education and charity programs with sponsorship from Israel's Foreign Ministry Center for International Cooperation (MASHAV) and the Israeli Embassy.[1]

Latvia's response to the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led terrorist attack on Israel was swift and supportive. Latvia's Foreign Ministry issued a statement strongly condemning the attacks and noting they had claimed civilian lives.[21] Latvia's president condemned the attacks, affirmed that Israel had a right to defend itself, expressed solidarity with the Israeli people, and offered condolences to the families of victims.[21]

In October 2023, Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs, Latvia's prime minister, and its foreign minister held supportive conversations with their Israeli counterparts.[22] Rinkēvičs expressed Latvia's "unwavering support for Israel's right to defend itself against terrorists."[22] On October 17, 2023, the chairs of the foreign affairs and security committees of the three Baltic states traveled to Israel in a solidarity visit.[22]

Several issues have introduced friction or complexity into the bilateral relationship. The World Jewish Congress describes ongoing tension between Latvia's Jewish community and wider Latvian society over the continued honoring of Latvian veterans of SS divisions from World War II.[20] The Simon Wiesenthal Center launched "Operation: Last Chance" in July 2002 to solicit information about suspected Nazi collaborators, an initiative that provoked controversy in Latvia, where, according to the Jewish Virtual Library, many continued to view World War II primarily as a war against the Soviet Union.[1]

In 2006, Latvia's parliament rejected a government-backed bill proposing $56 million in compensation for the Jewish community for historically unfair consequences of the Holocaust and Soviet occupation, along with the return of several properties.[23] The vote was 12 in favor, six against, and 67 abstentions; lawmaker Solvita Aboltina argued that the bill was legally incomplete and did not clarify whether other groups who suffered under totalitarian regimes would be eligible for compensation.[23] The bill was reported to be returning to the cabinet for review.[23]

In April 2025, Latvia's prosecutor's office closed its investigation into Herberts Cukurs, described as a Nazi collaborator and senior member of the Arajs Kommando.[1] Israel's Foreign Ministry condemned the decision as an insult to the memory of Holocaust victims and urged Latvian authorities to reverse it.[1]

Accounts also differ over the precise characterization of President Guntis Ulmanis's 1998 remarks in Israel: the JPR-hosted Latvia chapter records an expression of "deep regret" about Latvian participation in the Holocaust, while a Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs article describes the statement as a formal apology.[5][24] The JCPA further argues that, at a January 2004 Stockholm forum, Latvian President Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga emphasized Communist crimes in Latvia while mentioning the Holocaust only briefly, a presentation that the JCPA characterizes as generating antisemitic responses online — though this reflects that source's interpretation of a politically contested historical-memory debate.[24]

Latvian positions on Israel-related questions at international forums have varied by issue and time period. In a 2018 interview, then-Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkēvičs said Latvia followed EU consensus on Israel and the Palestinians, criticized Israel's use of force during Gaza border protests while affirming Israel's right to self-defense, and cited Latvian abstentions on a 2012 UN General Assembly vote on Palestine's nonmember-state status and a 2017 vote condemning U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.[25] By contrast, in 2026 Defense Minister Raivis Melnis publicly condemned Iranian attacks on Israel and said Latvia wanted to expand cooperation and friendship with Israel.[4] These statements reflect Latvia's navigation of EU consensus alongside its own bilateral ties with Israel and should not be read as representing a single fixed national position.