Agreement on the Extension of the European Cooperating State Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Latvia and the European Space Agency

Mr. Johann-Dietrich Wörner
Director General
ESA HQ Bertrand
24 rue du Général Bertrand
CS 30798
75345 Paris CEDEX 7
France

Dear Mr Wörner,

I have the honour to confirm the receipt of letter by the European Space Agency of 15 January 2020 concerning conclusion of the Agreement on the Extension of the European Cooperating State Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Latvia and the European Space Agency (hereinafter - the Agreement on the Extension), which reads as follows:

"Subject: Extension of the European Cooperating State Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Latvia and ESA

Dear Minister,

I have the honour to refer to the European Cooperating State (ECS) Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Latvia and ESA signed in Riga on 15 March 2013. Following the signature of the PECS Charter between ESA and the Government of the Republic of Latvia in Paris on 30 January 2015, pursuant to Article 14 of the ECS Agreement, the above mentioned ECS Agreement thereby entered into force on 30 January 2015 and will remain in force for a period of 5 years, i.e. until 29 January 2020.

Considering that Article 15 paragraph 2 of the present ECS Agreement establishes that the Agreement "may be extended by mutual agreement in writing", cognisant of the importance of the cooperation enabled thereunder and in order to prepare for a timely establishment of a draft Association Agreement to be proposed to ESA Member States as a follow-on to the ECS Agreement, I have the honour to propose an extension of the duration of the present ECS Agreement for a 6-month period, i.e. until 29 July 2020.

If the above is acceptable to you, I propose that the present letter, together with your affirmative reply, shall constitute the instrument under which the period of validity of the above-mentioned ECS Agreement will be extended until 29 July 2020.".

On behalf of the Government of the Republic of Latvia I have the honour to confirm that letter by European Space Agency of 15 January 2020 and this affirmative letter in reply shall constitute the Agreement on the Extension, which shall enter into force on the day of the receipt of the notification from the Government of the Republic of Latvia of the completion of its internal legal procedures necessary for the entry into force of the Agreement on the Extension.

Sincerely yours,
Ilga Šuplinska
Minister