Latvia’s foreign minister plans to visit the United States from Feb. 19-23 to meet with government officials—including Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton—and the Latvian community in the Washington, D.C., area.

Ģirts Valdis Kristovskis met Feb. 11 with U.S. Ambassador Judith Garber in Rīga to discuss details of the trip, the foreign ministry’s press office announced.

Besides visiting with Clinton, the foreign minister is expected to meet with officials from the Defense Department, the State Department, the National Security Council and the Defense Logistics Agency. Kristovskis also will visit the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and the Victims of Communism Memorial, both in Washington.

Kristovskis during the meetings will emphasize the strategic importance of Latvia’s relationship with the U.S. in foreign affairs and security issues, according to the press office. Among questions he will highlight is expanding Latvia’s energy security.

While in the nation’s capital, the defense minister also will meet with Latvian community leaders.

Kristovskis will be joined by Ojārs Kalniņš, a former Latvian ambassador to the U.S. who now is a member of Latvia’s parliament, where he is chair of the Foreign Affairs Commission.