8 November 1995
Mr Berzins was born in Australia of Latvian immigrant parents and holds dual Australian/Latvian citizenship. He is a graduate of the University of Sydney (BA) and the University of NSW (Bachelor of Commerce), Erasmus University, Rotterdam (MBA) and Rochester University, New York (MBA). In Australia, Mr Berzins was Deputy Managing Director of Riga Bakery Pty Ltd and later Managing Director of Berzins Speciality Bakeries, a company which won the 1981 Australian Small Business Award and was later sold to the Goodman Fielder group.
Mr Berzins has had business interests in Latvia since 1991 and established residence there in 1993. He is currently a director of a number of Australian and Latvian companies. His Latvian interests are in lumber and property development and he is well known in Latvian Government and business circles.
Australia was pleased to be among the first countries to recognise Latvian independence in August 1991. The Latvian community has long formed a valuable part of the multicultural fabric of Australian society. Australia will continue to support Latvia's development, especially its transition to a market economy through multilateral organisations such as the European Bank for Reconstruction (EBRD) and bilaterally through the Australian Program for Training in Eurasia (APTEA).
The Australian Consulate is located at: Peterbaznicas Iela 17, Riga, Latvia LV-1050. Telephone: (371) 2 225 908, Facsimile: (371) 2 226 339.