From 5 to 7 October a team consisting of members of the Saeima took part in the Third Games of European Parliamentarians in Moscow; it ranked 2nd and thus brought home a trophy.
Press releases
Āboltiņa to the Rector of Charles University: Latvia and the Czech Republic are linked by education and people-to-people ties (11.10.2012.)
“Latvia and the Czech Republic are linked by ties established throughout decades between universities, schools, municipalities, families and people working in the sphere of culture,” said Solvita Āboltiņa, Speaker of the Saeima, on Wednesday, 10 October, while meeting with Václav Hampl, Rector of Charles University in Prague. Āboltiņa is currently in Prague on an official visit to the Czech Republic.
Countries with a similar mindset, such as Latvia and the Czech Republic, need to cooperate and consult each other in order to defend their interests on important issues such as the EU’s new multi-annual financial framework. Latvia and the Czech Republic have established successful cooperation within the EU and NATO, and this is supplemented by comprehensive bilateral cooperation. This was confirmed by Solvita Āboltiņa, Speaker of the Saeima, on Wednesday, 10 October, during her meeting with Petr Nečas, Prime Minister of the Czech Republic.
Speaker of the Czech parliament expresses support to Āboltiņa for Latvia’s goal of joining the OECD (10.10.2012.)
On Wednesday, 10 October, while meeting with Solvita Āboltiņa, Speaker of the Saeima, Miroslava Němcová, Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic, expressed her support for Latvia’s goal of becoming a member of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
To some extent, this is an unusual budget because for the first time it was submitted to the Saeima along with a three-year budget framework, said Jānis Reirs, Chairman of the Budget and Finance (Taxation) Committee, on Tuesday, 9 October, as consideration of budget began in the Saeima. Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis also took part in the committee meeting.
Āboltiņa praises Latvia’s achievements in securing equal rights for women to global women speakers (05.10.2012.)
“In comparison to other countries, Latvia has achieved good results with regard to equal rights and equal representation for women. In our country, women are successful in politics, business, academia, as well as other areas significant for national development,” said Solvita Āboltiņa, Speaker of the Saeima, on Thursday, 4 October, while chairing the session on gender equality in parliaments held within the framework of the Meeting of Women Speakers of Parliaments taking place in New Delhi, the capital of India.
On Wednesday, 3 October, Solvita Āboltiņa, Speaker of the Saeima, met with Meira Kumar, Speaker of the Indian Parliament, and invited her to officially visit Latvia. Such a visit would be the first of its kind since the establishment of mutual relations between both countries.
Āboltiņa to women speakers of parliaments: Female participation fosters democracy and civic engagement (04.10.2012.)
“Women in politics can actively encourage other women to run for office. Consequently, electing a greater number of women to political positions can deepen democracy and encourage civic engagement,” pointed out Solvita Āboltiņa, Speaker of the Saeima, on Wednesday, 3 October, while discussing the role of women in politics with women speakers of parliaments from all over the world at a meeting in New Delhi, the capital of India.
On Friday, 28 September, when Andris Vilks, Minister for Finance, handed over the briefcase containing the draft state budget for 2013, Solvita Āboltiņa, Speaker of the Saeima, emphasised that this state budget attests to our financial independence because it was not drafted under supervision of international lenders. It is also the first budget of growth since the crisis began because we have achieved growth indicators which international lenders expected Latvia to reach only in 2017.
On Friday, 28 September, Hendrik Gerrit Cornelis van den Dool, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the Republic of Latvia, was welcomed by Solvita Āboltiņa, Speaker of the Saeima, on his first visit to the Saeima. During the meeting, Solvita Āboltiņa called on the Dutch Ambassador to support Latvia’s accession to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Both parties also discussed the enlargement of the euro area.