Serkan Kaptan appointed Honorary Consul of the Latvian Republic in Istanbul
TAV Airports CEO Serkan Kaptan is appointed as the Honorary Consul of the Latvian Republic in Istanbul. The opening ceremony brought together diplomats, public authorities and business people.
The Honorary Consulate of the Latvian Republic, responsible for Istanbul, Edirne, Tekirdağ and Kırklareli in the northwestern part of Turkey, opened. The opening ceremony was attended by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Latvia, H.E. Baiba Braže, Latvia’s Ambassador in Turkey Bahtijors Hasans, Representative of the Turkish MoFA in Istanbul, Ambassador Ayşe Sözen Usluer and guests.
During the ceremony, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Latvia, H.E. Baiba Braže stated: “Next year, in 2025, we will celebrate the 100th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Latvia and Türkiye. Our relations are strong and thriving across three key pillars. First, security: we are committed allies in NATO, and we truly appreciate Türkiye’s contribution to strengthening the Alliance’s eastern flank, including air policing, as well as its support for Ukraine. The second pillar is the economy: our trading relationship continues to grow, from 370 million EUR in 2021 to 410 million EUR in 2023. This year, that trend is continuing, but we can and should be more ambitious. The third pillar is people-to-people connections, including education, tourism, and more. These links are crucial, which is why I find it so important to be here today to open Latvia’s new Honorary Consulate in Istanbul.”
TAV Airports CEO and the Honorary Consul of Latvia, Serkan Kaptan said “Turkey and Latvia have a long history of good relations. Turkey recognized the Republic of Latvia in 1925 and opened its first consulate in the Baltic region in Riga in 1929. The trade volume between the two countries reaches 700 million dollars annually. I believe there is potential to increase bilateral trade and investments.
The relations, especially in the fields of education and tourism, bring the people of the two countries closer. Thanks to the Erasmus student exchange program 1.621 Turkish students went to Latvia and 430 Latvian students came to Türkiye, during the last decade. Nearly 120 000 Latvians visited Türkiye in last year and I am confident that more and more Turkish citizens will be discovering the beauties of Latvia.
As TAV Airports, we have been operating at Riga Airport since 2009. We are pleased to contribute to the success of Riga Airport and the country's flag carrier airline, Air Baltic. Furthermore, as the Chairman of the Turkey-Latvia Business Council, I have been working for the development of relations between the business people of the two countries. With its historical, cultural, and natural riches, educated and hospitable people, it is a leading hub in the Baltic region and Northern Europe. I would like to thank Her Excellency Minister Braže for her trust. As the Honorary Consul, I will be privileged to contribute to the development of relations between the two countries”.
Serkan Kaptan
Serkan Kaptan has 25 years of experience in airport and airline operations and public-private partnership infrastructure projects. He joined TAV Airports in 1998 to lead the business development, airline marketing, R&D and investments. He was appointed as Deputy CEO of TAV Airports in 2016 and served as a Board Member for all TAV Airports’ subsidiaries, before being appointed as the CEO of TAV in May 2022. Kaptan is a Member of ADP Executive Board in charge of Central Asia, Middle East, Africa, Eastern Europe and CIS and serves as a Board Member of the Service Exporters’ Association (HIB) and the Chairman of DEIK Turkey-Latvia Business Council. In 2021, Kaptan was elected to the Board of Directors of the European Region of the Airports Council International (ACI Europe).
