Foreign Ministry to inform about consular service issues

On 1 February at 2 pm, the Foreign Ministry will hold a press conference on consular matters where the Secretary of State Andris Teikmanis and the Director of the Consular Department, Ambassador Līga Bergmane will present the topics of current importance in the consular service, look back at what has been done in 2011 in the field of consular assistance and the issuing of visas, and inform the audience about the upcoming projects in 2012.

A principal task for the consular service is to effectively protect the interests of Latvian citizens and permanent residents abroad. Therefore, detailed information will be provided on the increasing number of the cases of consular assistance and services rendered, response to consular crises, and trends regarding the scope of consular services.

Press conference participants will be briefed about the projects planned in 2012, such as procedures for granting monetary assistance to Latvian nationals in emergency situations abroad and reimbursement thereof, mobile passport workstations, as well as other initiatives to considerably improve the access to consular services abroad.

Information will be provided on the measures carried out in Latvia's missions in order to make the process of issuing Schengen visas more efficient, as well as on the initiatives for 2010, including a further expansion of the visa representation network. It must be noted, that the year 2011 saw a record high number of visa applications received, which is almost 20% more than in 2010. This has contributed almost LVL 4 million to the national budget.

The audience will also be introduced to new projects related to client service in the Consular Department in Riga: introducing a simplified procedure of submitting documents for legalisations and both reducing the processing time and the fees for legalisations.

Media are requested to apply for participation by telephone or 67016272 e-mail media@mfa.gov.lv .