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On Wednesday, 22 May, during her meeting in Seoul with Kang Chang-hee, Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea, Solvita Āboltiņa, Speaker of the Saeima, emphasised that Latvia and the Republic of Korea have great potential for economic and political cooperation. Concurrently, Speaker Āboltiņa welcomed the rapidly developing bilateral relations including the 30% increase in trade turnover during 2012, as well as the opening of the embassy of the Republic of Korea in Riga.

“We greatly appreciate this step and hope that it will bring our universities, research centres and culture institutions even closer,” said the Speaker of the Saeima in expressing conviction that geographic distance is not an obstacle for ever closer ties between Latvia and the Republic of Korea in any sphere. Latvia is interested in constructive, active and long-term relations with the Republic of Korea, and that can be ensured through stronger bilateral political contacts, deeper and stronger economic ties, as well as exchanges in the areas of culture and education.

Solvita Āboltiņa indicated that this is the first time when a Speaker of the Saeima has gone on an official visit to the Republic of Korea, and she expressed hope that it will create momentum for developing even closer relations. Both public officials agreed that interparliamentary cooperation groups established in the respective parliaments are a good foundation for further cooperation, and they expressed a desire to have a regular exchange of interparliamentary visits.

With regard to economic cooperation, Speaker Āboltiņa indicated that Latvia sees potential in developing cooperation in areas such as transit and logistics, wood processing, engineering, economics and tourism. She acknowledged that a solid legal framework has been established for successful cooperation between entrepreneurs of both countries; it includes the convention on avoidance of double taxation, the agreement on protection of investments, and the agreement on abolition of visa requirements. The next step should be signing of an agreement between the Latvian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Korea Federation of Small and Medium Businesses.

During her meeting with Speaker Kang Chang-hee, Solvita Āboltiņa expressed her conviction that it is important to broaden contacts between our peoples. Latvia highly appreciates scholarships offered by the Republic of Korea for studies and internships in the Republic of Korea, as well as funds allocated by the Korea Foundation for Korean language studies at the University of Latvia.

During the meeting, Solvita Āboltiņa expressed Latvia’s concern about the proactive behaviour of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea: “Twenty-five years ago Latvia was a part of the communist empire. I remember very well what it was like to live under suppression and to suffer political persecution. Therefore, every day each of us has to appreciate life in a free and democratic society and condemn those who curtail people’s freedom and democratic values.”

From 21 to 25 May Solvita Āboltiņa, Speaker of the Saeima, is on an official visit to the Republic of Korea, where she is meeting Kang Chang-hee, Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea; Chung Hong-won, Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea, as well as Byun Jae-ill, Chairman of the Korea–Latvia Parliamentary Friendship Group. During the visit, several other meetings are planned to give an insight into South Korea’s business and cultural environment.


Saeima Press Service