The diplomatic relations between the Sovereign Order of Malta and the Republic of Latvia were established in 1995.

In 1999, the President of Latvia Guntis Ulmanis took part in the celebrations for the 900 years of the foundation of the Order of Malta held in Rome, marking one of the earliest moments of contact following the establishment of diplomatic relations.

In the following years, bilateral dialogue continued to intensify: on 24 May 2004, the then Order of Malta’s Grand Hospitaller Albrecht Freiherr von Boeselager visited Latvia, confirming the shared interest in strengthening cooperation, particularly in the humanitarian field.

In 2007, the then Grand Master of the Order of Malta Fra’ Andrew Bertie received the Latvian Foreign Minister Artis Pabriks in the Magistral Palace. One year later, from 28 to 31 October 2008, the Grand Master Fra’ Matthew Festing paid an official visit to Latvia: the Order of Malta’s bilateral relations with Latvia and the development of cooperation in the social and health sectors were the key topics of the talks with the President of the Republic Valdis Zatlers at Riga Castle. The Grand Master and his delegation then had meetings with, among others, the Minister of Welfare Mrs Iveta Purne: a memorandum of understanding was signed to foster cooperation between the Order and Latvia.

Further confirming the continuity of the dialogue between the two sides, on 15 September 2010, in Rome, the Latvian Minister of Foreign Affairs Aivis Ronis met the Order’s Grand Commander Gherardo Hercolani Fava Simonetti.

On 11 May 2021, the President of the Republic of Latvia Egils Levits was received by the Lieutenant of the Grand Master Fra’ Marco Luzzago and Grand Chancellor Albrecht von Boeselager. The meeting, which confirmed the excellent relations between Latvia and the Sovereign Order of Malta, took place in the Magistral Villa in Rome. A declaration of intent was signed, committing the parties to further develop cooperation in the humanitarian, social, educational and cultural fields, as well as to promote their postal-service partnership. The signatories were Jānis Bordāns, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice of the Republic of Latvia, and Grand Chancellor Albrecht von Boeselager.
On 17 May 2024, another official visit to the Grand Master Fra’ John Dunlap was paid by the Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs, who first visited the Order in March 2022 as Foreign Minister. During the meeting, he thanked the Order of Malta for its many social activities in the country.

In September 2025, within the framework of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, the Grand Chancellor Riccardo Paternò di Montecupo and the Latvian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mrs Baiba Braže, held a bilateral meeting focused on the conflict in Ukraine and the Order’s interventions on the ground. They both agreed on the importance of further strengthening bilateral relations through the conclusion of a cooperation agreement and the promotion of social impact initiatives in Latvia carried out by the Order of Malta.