SAN FRANCISCO--()--The Republic of Latvia today announced it established an Honorary Consulate in the State of California that is based in San Francisco. The purpose of the Honorary Consulate is to advance Latvian economic, educational and cultural interests in California by promoting interactions between organizations that share common goals. The announcement was made today in a public presentation by the Prime Minister of Latvia, Valdis Dombrovskis, at Stanford University. The prime minister’s presentation focused on the role of universities, business and governments in fostering entrepreneurship and was sponsored by the Latvian American Business Association of California (LABACA), the Investment and Development Agency of Latvia (LIAA) and Stanford’s Graduate School of Business.
“Latvia’s economy is growing and California, especially the Bay Area, is a model of technological innovation and entrepreneurship that we can emulate and from which we can learn.”
“The establishment of an Honorary Consulate of the Republic of Latvia in the State of California is an important step for continued economic, academic and social advancement in Latvia,” said Prime Minister Dombrovskis. “Latvia’s economy is growing and California, especially the Bay Area, is a model of technological innovation and entrepreneurship that we can emulate and from which we can learn.”
Prime Minister Dombrovskis will officially open the new San Francisco-based Latvian Honorary Consulate on Saturday, July 16, 2011 in a private ceremony where representatives from the San Francisco Mayor’s office, San Francisco business leaders and members of the San Francisco Bay Area Consular Corps representing more than 30 countries are expected to attend.
About Latvia
Latvia is an Eastern European country on the border of the Baltic Sea across from Sweden. In 2004, Latvia joined the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Latvia is also a member of the United Nations Organization and the World Trade Organization. Latvia has one of the highest literacy rates in the world (99.8 percent) according to 2007 data from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Its population is approximately 2 million with a labor force of approximately 1 million according to The World Factbook published by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. Exports and services are the primary contributors to Latvia’s gross domestic product, with machinery, electrical equipment, wood, metal and mineral products being the main exports according to The Latvian Institute.
About Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis of Latvia
Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis of Latvia assumed his current role on November 3, 2010. As a leading member of Latvia’s New Era Party, he also served as prime minister of Latvia from March 2009 to November 2010. Prior to his role as Latvia’s prime minister, Mr. Dombrovskis served as Latvia's minister of finance, a member of the European Parliament (EP) and chief economist at the Bank of Latvia.
Prime Minister Dombrovskis attended the University of Latvia, graduating with a degree in physics in 1993. He received a bachelor’s degree in economics for engineers from Riga University of Technology in 1995 and a master’s degree in physics from the University of Latvia in 1996.
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