Note

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia presents its compliments to the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Iceland and has the honour to acknowledge receipt of the Note of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Iceland from 9 April, 1997, which reads as follows:

"The Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Iceland presents its compliments to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia and has the honour to inform the latter that the Government of Iceland, with a view to facilitating the travel between Iceland and the Republic of Latvia, is prepared to conclude with the Government of the Republic of Latvia an agreement on the following terms:

Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Latvia (hereinafter referred to as Latvia) and the Government of Iceland Concerning abolition of Visa Requirements

Article 1

Citizens of Latvia holding valid passports of Latvia shall be free to enter Iceland at any authorized border-crossing point and to stay in Iceland for a period not exceeding three months without being required to obtain a visa. This period of three months commences on the date of entry into any Nordic state being a Party to the Convention of 12 July 1957 on the Waiver of Passport Control at the Intra-Nordic Borders. Any stay in any of those States during six months preceding the entry into any of those States from a non-Nordic State shall be included in the above period of three months.

Article 2

Citizens of Iceland holding valid passports of Iceland shall be free to enter Latvia at any authorized border-crossing point and to stay in Latvia for a period not exceeding three months during one calender year without being required to obtain a visa.

Article 3

It is understood that the waiver of visa requirements does not exempt persons benefitting under this agreement from the necessity to comply with the laws and regulations in force in each Contracting Party concerning entry, residence - temporary or permanent - and work.

Article 4

Each Contracting Party reserves the right to refuse citizens of the other Contracting Party that are considered undesirable to enter and stay on its territory.

Article 5

Each Contracting Party shall admit without any formality, into its territory, any of its citizens.

Article 6

Each Contracting Party may temporarily suspend the foregoing provisions in whole or in part, except Article 5 thereof, on grounds of the protection of State security, public order or public health. Such suspension shall be notified immediately to the other Contracting Party through diplomatic channels.

Article 7

The present Agreement shall enter into force on 21 April 1997. The Agreement may be denounced by either Contracting Party by notification in writing through diplomatic channels. The denunciation shall take effect one month after the date of the notification.

Article 8

Nothing in this Agreement shall affect in any way the rights and obligations of either Contracting Party arising from other existing or future international agreements.

If the foregoing proposal is acceptable to the Government of the Republic of Latvia, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Iceland has the honour to suggest that the present Note and the reply of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia to that effect shall constitute an agreement between the two Governments.

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Iceland avails itself of this opportunity to renew to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia the assurances of its highest consideration."

In reply, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia has the honour to state that the Government of the Republic of Latvia accepts the proposal of the Government of Iceland and agrees that the Note of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Iceland and the present reply shall constitute an agreement between the two Governments.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia avails itself of this opportunity to renew to the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Iceland the assurances of its highest consideration.

R"ga, 14 April, 1997