In 2026, Latvia celebrates the 35th anniversary of the restoration of its independence. In 1940, the country was annexed by the Soviet Union – almost a year after the USSR and Germany had divided the Republic of Poland. Our countries share much in common, both in their experience of independent life before World War II and today. Both are located on NATO’s eastern flank, a fact well understood by their national leadership.
We discuss cooperation of our countries with Raimonds Jansons, who has served as the Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of the Republic of Latvia to the Republic of Poland since September 2025. He began his diplomatic career in 1993 and is a trained lawyer.
Our conversation took place at the invitation of the ambassador at the Latvian Embassy in Warsaw, located in a charming corner of the Polish capital – the Saska Kępa district, which has hosted the diplomatic missions of many countries since pre-war times.
Raimonds Jansons: I started working here at the end of August. Just imagine: I arrived on August 25, and already on August 28, the President of Latvia, Edgars Rinkēvičs, paid a working visit to Warsaw and to our Embassy for four days. The Latvian President was here because he had been invited by the Polish President for consultations before his visit to the USA. Poland and other EU and NATO partners are very important for Latvia. Poland and Latvia are very important partners. We are holding consultations ahead of the upcoming G20 meeting, which will take place in Miami, United States. There will also be consultations between Poland and the Baltic and regional partners at the presidential level, and probably at various other levels as well.
Raimonds Jansons highlighted an important element of Polish–Latvian cooperation today.
Raimonds Jansons: Latvia and Poland are natural partners these days, of course. Both countries are part of the European Union and NATO, and of course we are also regional partners. Historically, this partnership is especially strong in the military sphere. As you know, in the 1920s, Eastern Latvia – Latgale was basically liberated from the Bolsheviks through cooperation between the Latvian Army and the Polish Army. Monuments in Eastern Latvia commemorate these historical events. Every January, there are commemorative events in Eastern Latvia, where Latvian and Polish representatives gather together to honor and remember these events. Today Poland and Latvia do not share a common border, but they share common interests.
Military cooperation between Latvia and Poland continues and is strengthening today.
Raimonds Jansons: Currently, there are around 300 Polish troops stationed in Latvia as part of NATO’s Enhanced Forward Presence, not far from Riga. We consider this a very important contribution to our security. Of course, Polish troops are deployed alongside forces from 14 other NATO countries, but for us this contribution is very meaningful. It also helps develop daily ties between our two ministries and our armed forces. Our ministries of defense discussed not only the presence of Polish troops, but also the participation of other units of the Polish armed forces in exercises on Latvian territory. A number of other issues are being considered, including the interoperability of the armed forces, ammunition, military procurement, and support for Ukraine, including the drone coalition.
Raimonds Jansons emphasized that Poland and Latvia very often coordinate their positions on many issues of foreign policy and the economy.
Raimonds Jansons: We always consult with the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, for instance, regarding the sanctions packages currently being approved by the European Union, including the lists of people included in the sanctions. All these issues are coordinated between our countries, which plays an important role. Military and political cooperation continues, as well as, of course, everything related to culture and education.
Raimonds Jansons, in particular, shared his impressions of visiting the University of Warsaw.
Raimonds Jansons: At the University of Warsaw, there is a Department of General and Sign Linguistics as well as Baltic Studies, where Lithuanian and Latvian are studied. Last December, I participated in an event there celebrating the 35th anniversary of the department’s establishment. We are very pleased and happy that, thanks to this, knowledge of Latvian is being promoted.
In the past, eastern Latvia – and for a time even Riga and western Latvia Kurzeme – were part of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. Since then, traces of Polish presence have remained in the country. Poles still live there as well. Raimonds Jansons speaks about their cultural life.
Raimonds Jansons: We have Polish schools that provide secondary education in the Polish language, which can later be applied in practical life or in various other fields. Paula Patricija Adukone, Secretary of the Embassy of the Republic of Latvia in the Republic of Poland, is a very good example of how this works in practice. Her story is very interesting: she lived not far from a Polish school in Riga, where she learned the language, and now she is working at the embassy.
Poland and Latvia are participating in projects to develop road and rail infrastructure – Via Baltica and Rail Baltica. Raimonds Jansons believes that the distance between the two countries is shrinking.
Raimonds Jansons: Now, let’s say, traveling from Riga to Warsaw takes about 8 hours by car. I have also traveled this route frequently myself. On the Polish side, the road construction is well done. In Latvia even there is a joke that there are only two seasons in Poland: winter and road construction. On the Baltic side, however, there are still some things that could be improved. Of course, there is also the Rail Baltica project, which is under construction in the Baltic States and will connect the three capitals. Polish entrepreneurs are very active in Latvia and are contributing to the construction work as well. This is, of course, a very large and important project, and recently we have heard about progress in building Rail Baltica.
For Europe East Viktar Korbut