On 21 November 2023, the first political consultations between Latvia and Senegal were held in Dakar. The consultations were chaired by Andžejs Viļumsons, Under-Secretary of State – Political Director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia, and Ousmane Camara Ndiongue, Head of the Europe, America and Oceania Directorate of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Senegal. 

The consultations focused on the current agenda of bilateral relations, cooperation in international organisations and the situation in Europe and West Africa. The Political Director drew attention to the global consequences of Russia’s aggression in Ukraine and the dangers this aggression poses to Latvia and the other countries of the Baltic region. The Head of the Directorate of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Senegal, for his part, described the situation in the countries of the Sahel region and the wider West African region.

Representatives of the Senegalese Ministries of Defence and Finance, as well as of the Digitalisation Agency, also took part in the discussions, thus confirming a strong interest in promoting bilateral cooperation.

Prior to the consultations, Andžejs Viļumsons also met with foreign ambassadors and representatives of international think tanks in Dakar.