At the beginning of the visit, from September 17 to September 21, Rinkēvičs will visit California together with a delegation of Latvian economy ministers and businessmen, and from September 22 to 27, the President will visit New York to participate in the opening of the 79th session of the UN General Assembly.
Drēgiris states that the purpose of the visit to California is to promote Latvia’s competitiveness by expanding the export market of Latvian companies and promoting investment attraction. The President of the State together with the accompanying delegation will visit several world-leading high-tech companies, including “Meta”, “Google”, “OpenAI” and “Groq”.
It is also planned to visit the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley. During the meeting with representatives of companies and research center management, special attention will be paid to issues related to the development of artificial intelligence solutions and potential cooperation with Latvia and its entrepreneurs in the implementation of joint projects. At the same time, participation in a startup networking event with potential investors is planned, organized by “Mach49” in cooperation with “TechChill” and “Storm Ventures”.
During the visit, Stanford University will also be visited, where it is planned to participate in a round table discussion with Stanford University representatives, including the director of the Hooverth Institute, former US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Francis Fukuyama, a senior researcher at the Freeman-Spogli Institute of International Studies at Stanford University.
At the same time, the President is scheduled to meet with California Governor Gavin Newsom and compatriots living in California, as well as interviews with the US mass media.
The President’s speech at the UN General Assembly is scheduled for September 25 at around midnight Latvian time. According to Dregers, Rinkevičs will pay attention to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and the threat it poses to the rules-based international order, as well as the crisis in the Middle East and the importance of achieving global sustainable development goals.
During his working visit to New York, the President will also participate in the Future Summit, the UN Security Council’s open debate on maintaining international peace and security, a high-level meeting on preventing existential threats caused by sea level rise, as well as a discussion on the social impact of artificial intelligence solutions organized by the Clinton Global Initiative.
During the UN General Assembly, a meeting of the presidents of the Baltic states with the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, as well as with the President of Poland Andrzej Duda is planned. Also, the President is scheduled to have several bilateral meetings, including with the leaders of Central Africa, Guinea-Bissau, Kuwait, Monaco, Malawi, the Palestinian Authority, Seychelles, Swatini and other countries, to discuss bilateral relations and cooperation in international organizations, support for Ukraine, as well as promote support Latvia’s candidacy for the seat of a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for 2026 and 2027.
In New York, the President will also participate in an informal meeting organized by the World Economic Forum, or the so-called Davos Forum, on global geopolitical challenges, and will also meet with Sam Altman, head of the OpenAI company. Also, Rinkevich has been invited to participate in the reception of US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden.
2024-09-15 03:14:28