The Diplomat
Diplomat Jānis Zlamets is the new ambassador of Latvia to Spain, replacing Maris Klišans, who has held the post since October 2020, developing an intense activity.
Jānis Zlamets, who received the Credentials of his position on October 1 from the hands of the Latvian president, Edgars Rinkēvičs, has been the head of the Directorate of Security Policy and International Organizations for the last two years.
The new ambassador has a long professional career, which began in 1998 in the Department of Foreign Economic Policy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia and during which he has held various positions in Riga and abroad.
Jānis Zlamets has served as ambassador to Georgia, as well as ambassador and permanent representative of his country to the UN, OSCE and other international organisations in Vienna, and during the Latvian presidency from 2018 to 2019 he served as chairman of the Nuclear Suppliers Group. He has also been posted to the Latvian embassies in the Netherlands, Russia, and NATO.
On the account of the Latvian Embassy in Madrid, on the social network X, the new ambassador stresses that his country has much in common with Spain and expresses his desire to deepen bilateral relations in political, security, economic and cultural matters.
And in a statement to the Latvian news agency LETA, Jānis Zlamets says that “geopolitical changes in the world have significantly reinforced the understanding of both Latvia and Spain of the importance of modern democratic European countries and NATO allies working together to ensure a prosperous and peaceful Europe in a turbulent world.”
In this regard, the ambassador recalls that Spanish troops have been stationed in Latvia for several years, “thus guaranteeing – he underlines – the security of all NATO, not only Latvia but also Spain”.
On the other hand, in the economic field, he points out that “both the interest of Latvian companies in Spain and the interest of Spanish companies in Latvia could be even greater”. And he expresses a wish: “I would like to see more Latvian businessmen and professionals from different fields in Spain. And, yes, more Spanish tourists in Latvia. We need to get to know each other better. Then there will be mutually beneficial and enriching cooperation in a wide range of sectors”.
