Nepal – Latvia Relations


Background
Nepal established diplomatic relations with Latvia on 20 April 1992. The Embassy of Nepal in Copenhagen is concurrently accredited to Latvia and the Latvian Embassy in New Delhi is concurrently accredited to Nepal. Latvia maintains an Honorary Consul in Nepal.

 

Exchange of visits/meetings
Minister of Foreign Affairs Hon. Pradeep Kumar Gyawali met with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Latvia H.E. Edgars Rinkēvičs on 24 February 2020 in Geneva.

 

Cooperation,  Trade and Investment
Bilateral cooperation between Nepal and Latvia is channelled through the EU mechanisms.

The volume of trade between Nepal and Latvia is nominal, and investment in each other’s country is yet to start. Some of the commodities imported by Nepal are machinery and equipment. Nepal exports carpets and clothing accessories, work of art, etc. Trade volume between Nepal and Latvia for the last few years is in favour of Latvia, as shown in the table below:

(Value in US dollars)

Year Export Import Balance
2015 31,801 175,970 -144,169
2016 33,261 171,265 -138,004
2017 127,614 176,115 -48,501
2018 153,131 406,685 -253,554
2019 59,580 246,740 -187,160

(Source: TEPC)

 

Tourism and people to people contacts
A small number of travellers from Latvia visit Nepal every year. Nepal’s Himalayas and mountainous topography are the major interest of Latvian tourists. Likewise, a few Nepali students have been pursuing higher study in Latvia.

 

September 2020