EU – Baltic States, Latvia, Port

''The Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomes the freeing of the Latvian citizen and is currently engaged in providing the necessary consular assistance to enable his departure from Iran. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs hopes that the situation will be fully resolved, and it calls on Iran to release the detained vessel and the rest of its crew,'' the statement reads.

''The Ministry of Foreign Affairs would like to convey gratitude to all who were involved in handling the matter, and especially to diplomats of the Finnish Foreign Service who provided significant support in the representation of Latvia’s interests in Iran and in arranging for the Latvian citizen to leave the country. The Latvian Foreign Ministry commends the family of the Latvian citizen for their patience and cooperation. And, coordination with our colleagues from India has also been highly appreciated,'' the ministry went on to say.

''The release of the Latvian citizen along with part of the ship’s crew is an important step towards reducing tensions in the Persian Gulf region. We hope for further efforts by the countries involved to promote dialogue in order to find a common solution and ensure stability and safety of navigation of vessels in the Middle East,'' the ministry said.

As reported, on the evening of July 19, 2019, Iran seized the Stena Impero, a Swedish-owned vessel sailing under the British flag, while it was crossing the Strait of Hormuz. Since that time, the Latvian Foreign Ministry has been working diligently to ensure the release of the member of the crew from Latvia, both through direct contact with the ship’s owner and through diplomatic channels including the Embassy of Finland in Tehran.