On Friday, April 26, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine Olha Stefanishyna met with the newly appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs of Latvia Baiba Braže, who arrived in Kyiv on a visit.

Olha Stefanishyna noted that she was happy to continue close cooperation in her new capacity.

"I was happy to learn about your appointment, I am grateful for the close cooperation we had when you held the position of NATO Assistant Secretary General," the Deputy Prime Minister said.

The two officials discussed Ukraine's reform priorities, the negotiation process for Ukraine's accession to the EU, and the country's Euro-Atlantic integration.

"The agenda includes the adoption of the negotiation framework proposed by the European Commission in June this year. All the internal work necessary for the actual start of negotiations has been done by Ukraine. Now the decision is up to the EU member states. Therefore, we are focusing all our efforts on working with the member states, and in this context, we are counting on Latvia's support as never before," the Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine said.

She also informed her Latvian counterpart about the current work of Ukrainian agencies that were actively participating in explanatory sessions as part of the official screening of the European Commission.

In her turn, Baiba Braže noted that her country fully supported Ukraine's movement towards the EU and would assist on this path.

In the context of Ukraine's Euro-Atlantic course, the parties discussed preparations for the upcoming NATO Leaders' Summit to be held in July this year.

"Ukraine seems to be in a very good shape after the NATO Summit in Vilnius. We are fully integrated into the ongoing work of NATO Headquarters, we have a well-structured reform map, a clearly systematized interoperability roadmap, a fully functioning NATO-Ukraine Council, as evidenced by the recent meeting at the level of defense ministers at the request of the President of Ukraine, which proved to be extremely effective," Olha Stefanishyna emphasized.

According to her, the issue of inviting Ukraine to join the Alliance remains relevant and desirable for the country. "It will be on the table for as long as necessary until such a decision is made," she said.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Latvia noted the effectiveness of the NATO-Ukraine Council tool and reassured that her country supports Ukraine's integration into the Alliance.