On Friday, 18 October, Solvita Āboltiņa, Speaker of the Saeima, signed the book of condolence at the Embassy of the Kingdom of Belgium in Riga in memory of Wilfried Martens, former Prime Minister of Belgium.
Press releases
“Uzbekistan is the most significant cooperation partner for Latvia in Central Asia, and our active political dialogue, as well as regular exchange of visits, attest to that,” said Solvita Āboltiņa, Speaker of the Saeima, on Thursday, 17 October, during her meeting with Islam Karimov, President of the Republic of Uzbekistan.
Saeima extends Latvia’s military mission in Afghanistan (17.10.2013.)
On Thursday, 17 October, the Saeima decided to extend the service of soldiers from the Latvian National Armed Forces in the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force mission in Afghanistan.
On Thursday, 10 October, Solvita Āboltiņa, Speaker of the Saeima, during her working visit to the United States of America, went to Philadelphia – the 5th largest U.S. city - where she met with Michael Nutter, Mayor of Philadelphia, and Alan Greenberger, Deputy Mayor for Economic Development for the City of Philadelphia.
A strong transatlantic partnership and presence of the United States in Europe is crucial for facing modern global challenges, dealing with economic recession and facilitating democratisation in the world, said Solvita Āboltiņa, Speaker of the Saeima, in Washington, DC, during her meeting with John Boehner, Speaker of the House of Representatives, held in the framework of her working visit to the U.S.
The future security of the European Union depends on strengthening the sense of belonging to Western values and politics among Eastern neighbours of the European Union. The Eastern Partnership is an excellent format for closer relations with the East European and Central Asian countries. This was asserted by Solvita Āboltiņa, Speaker of the Saeima, when she met with Senator Chris Murphy, Chairman of the Subcommittee on European Affairs, during her working visit to the United States of America.
Women’s rights are among Latvia’s priorities in international law on human rights. Latvia is implementing an integrated approach to gender equality in politics and legislation, as well as in planning and decision-making processes. This was emphasised by Solvita Āboltiņa, Speaker of the Saeima, during her visit to the United States of America when meeting with Rangita de Silva de Alwis, Director of the Women in Public Service Project initiated by the former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Āboltiņa at a discussion in the U.S. sees the future of the EU in economic growth and efficient functioning (09.10.2013.)
Solvita Āboltiņa, Speaker of the Saeima, started her visit to the United States of America with a discussion about Latvia’s role in the European Union (EU) and the future of Europe in which she emphasised the role of economic growth and efficient functioning. The discussion was held at The German Marshall Fund of the United States in Washington, DC. Besides the Speaker, Jānis Vucāns, Deputy Speaker, as well as Ojārs Ēriks Kalniņš, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, contributed to the discussion.
On Monday, 7 October, Andrejs Klementjevs, Deputy Speaker of the Saeima, welcomed the delegation of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia to the Saeima and introduced it to the work of the Latvian parliament and explained the various learning opportunities they will have during this study visit.
The upcoming Eastern Partnership Summit will be a turning point in relations between the EU and its eastern neighbours. Georgia is a leader among the Eastern Partnership member states in implementing reforms; therefore, it has a special role in strengthening this policy, said Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica, Chairperson of the European Affairs Committee of the Saeima, on Monday, 7 October, at the international parliamentary conference Georgia Before the Vilnius Summit: Role of the Parliament in EU Integration Process held in Tbilisi.