Latvia is an active participant in the international arena - the country has a number of embassies, is a member of various international organizations and participates in the international affairs decision-making on various levels. The governmental organization responsible for handling these relations is the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia.

Being located in Europe and having limited political resources, Latvia mostly concentrates on building relations with countries of the Northern hemisphere, particularly those belonging to the Western society. Latvia's foreign relations are also influenced by its past - a couple of decades ago the country was the part of the USSR, and this context affects Latvia's relations with the all the other former Soviet countries.