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On Tuesday, August 18, Minister of Justice Edvards Smiltēns met with U.S. Ambassador to Latvia Melissa Argyros to strengthen bilateral cooperation in the field of justice and discuss future areas of cooperation in combating transnational crime, strengthening election and cybersecurity, improving the judicial system, and protecting investments.
Latvia and the United States have close cooperation in the fields of justice and law enforcement, based on concrete exchanges of expertise and joint work. Since 2020, 63 specialized training programs have been organized in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Justice, involving 2,848 Latvian professionals, including prosecutors, judges, investigators, and financial analysts. Practical exchanges of experience and mentoring in the investigation of specific criminal cases are also important. The two countries will continue to cooperate in areas where transnational crime presents increasingly complex challenges, including combating sanctions evasion, financial crime, crimes involving crypto assets, and organized crime. Latvia also participates in international initiatives, including the U.S.-European Union Cryptocurrency Working Group. At the same time, it is important to improve mutual legal assistance mechanisms so that transnational crimes can be investigated more quickly and effectively.
“Latvia-U.S. cooperation in the field of justice is a success story that has already produced concrete results. Latvia has the experience and expertise to be not only a recipient of support in this cooperation, but also a strong partner to the United States in combating transnational crime and strengthening our shared security,” Minister of Justice Edvards Smiltēns emphasized. The Minister also briefed the Ambassador on Latvia’s efforts to strengthen national security and resilience, including measures to mitigate the consequences of threats posed by drones and other hybrid threats.
The Ministry of Justice is working to modernize the courts, digitalize processes, strengthen professional capacity, and reduce case-processing times. Latvia’s goal is a faster and more predictable justice system that also strengthens the business environment and investor confidence.
In early September, the Ministry of Justice, together with representatives of the justice sector and the business community, will assess current practical challenges related to investment protection and civil litigation. The goal is to identify practical solutions so that Latvia is a place where both local businesses and foreign investors can rely on prompt, high-quality, and predictable legal protection.
The Minister emphasized that one of the Ministry of Justice’s responsibilities is to support the secure and lawful conduct of elections this autumn by protecting the electoral process from unwanted foreign interference, cyber threats, and disinformation.