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On Tuesday, 4 September, Solvita Āboltiņa, Speaker of the Saeima, met with Mark Pekala, the new Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States to Latvia. In welcoming her guest to the Saeima, Āboltiņa emphasised that this year marks the 90th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Latvia and the USA and that parliamentary cooperation has played a crucial role over the decades. Latvia considers the USA to be a strategic partner; therefore, it is important to ensure close cooperation at the political level, as well as in the business environment and the security and defence sectors. 

“It is significant that the new building of the U.S. Embassy in Latvia is located on a street which has been renamed after the U.S. diplomat Sumner Welles, who instituted a consistent policy of non-recognition of the occupation of Latvia and the other two Baltic States. “This summer I had the honour of participating together with the U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the ceremony of renaming the street,” Āboltiņa said.

The close political cooperation between Latvia and the United States is characterised by regular mutual visits, and the Latvian parliament actively participates in this process, Āboltiņa said, offering as examples the visit of a delegation from the U.S. Senate last summer and the visit of a delegation from the House Committee on Foreign Affairs this summer.

The Speaker of the Saeima emphasised the successful political dialogue between the two countries as a factor facilitating economic cooperation. “The presence of the United States in Latvia’s economy and investment sector is crucial. Latvia has a growing trade turnover with the U.S., and we hope that the recent visit of a U.S. Business Mission will only strengthen these ties,” Āboltiņa said.

Ambassador Pekala stressed that the United States commends Latvia’s success in overcoming the economic crisis, which can serve as a positive example to other countries. The United States also highly appreciates the fact that despite the financial restrains, Latvia continues to support international operations and efforts to strengthen democracy in the region.

The Speaker of the Saeima acknowledged Latvia’s interest in joining the Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and its willingness to share its experience in overcoming the crisis. “Our country wishes to raise our relations with the OECD to a new level. Latvia is ready to begin the accession process in order to become a full-fledged member state in the near future. We hope to have the support of the United States in negotiations on Latvia’s accession to the Organisation,” Āboltiņa said. 

During the meeting, both parties also accented the successful cooperation in the security and defence sector. “Security and defence policy is a cornerstone of the cooperation between Latvia and the USA. The United States is an important partner for Latvia in terms of security and defence. The recent Chicago Summit was successful for Latvia. We appreciate U.S. support of NATO’s Baltic air-policing mission, as well as military exercises organised in the Baltic region by the USA and NATO,” the Speaker of the Saeima said. Pekala highlighted the Northern Distribution Network as an example of successful cooperation between Latvia and the United States.

Photos from the meeting are available at:  https://www.flickr.com/photos/saeima/sets/72157631401637776/
Video from the meeting is available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndzUzX_BSFs&list=UUdQ1YxaZG3i7ygGCdU8mPKQ&index=1&feature=plcp
When using the material, please give credit to the Saeima Chancellery.

Saeima Press Service