"Latvia and Sweden share a special relationship. Being of a similar mind-set, together our countries can achieve more. In the European Union, the united voice of the Nordic countries and the Baltic States carries more weight," emphasised Speaker Mūrniece at a meeting with Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven during her official visit to Stockholm.
The Speaker of the Saeima stated that the 13th Saeima has a special interest in cooperating with Sweden, as well as the Nordic countries and the Baltic States in general. Both countries have elected new parliaments. The Group for promoting cooperation with the Parliament of Sweden established by the Saeima provides great opportunities in this regard, while a similar group for cooperation with the Baltic States is active in the Parliament of Sweden.
I.Mūrniece expressed her gratitude for the Cooperation Fund for Latvia, Sweden’s gift on the occasion of Latvia's centenary. As the future of our region is in the hands of future generations, I hope that the fund Sweden has set up for Latvia will help young people from both countries to meet and develop joint innovative projects, noted Speaker Mūrniece.
Sweden is one of Latvia’s main trading partners and the largest foreign investor in Latvia. We are interested in close cooperation with Sweden in areas such as innovation, research, technology transfer, and information and communication technologies, the fastest growing industry in Latvia, said the Speaker of the Saeima.
I.Mūrniece also underlined that the security of Latvia and Sweden are closely linked. We face common challenges associated with Russia's geopolitical impact in the Baltic Sea region. In the European Union, it is necessary to build a common understanding about the risk of disinformation. In Latvia, we worked to prevent foreign intervention in the elections of the 13th Saeima and we have acquired good experience in preparing for the European Parliament elections in May. Speaker Mūrniece commended the cooperation with Sweden on this matter and asked for closer cooperation between the media regulators of both countries.
During her visit, the Speaker met also Cecilia Brinck, the President of the City Council of Stockholm, to discuss cooperation between Latvia and Sweden on the application for hosting the Winter Olympics and Paralympics in Stockholm in 2026.
The Speaker of the Saeima and the delegation of Latvian MPs also visited the Embassy of Latvia in Sweden and met with representatives of the Latvian community.
On the official visit to Sweden, the Speaker of the Saeima is accompanied by Arvils Ašeradens, Chair of the Education, Culture and Science Commission of the Saeima and Head of the Group for promoting cooperation with the Parliament of Sweden, Jānis Vucāns, Member of Parliament, President of the Baltic Assembly, and Ojārs Ēriks Kalniņš, Deputy Chair of the European Affairs Committee of the Saeima.
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Saeima Press Service