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“Developing close relations between the Baltic States and Germany is a foreign policy priority for our country and myself as the Speaker of the Saeima. Latvia is interested in strengthening our strategic cooperation at all levels,” said Solvita Āboltiņa, Speaker of the Saeima, on Monday, 8 July, when meeting with Joachim Gauck, President of the Federal Republic of Germany, in the Saeima.

During the meeting the Speaker of the Saeima pointed out that the economic crisis has made Latvia stronger and more focused on sustainable development. “For already some time we have had the fastest growing economy in the European Union, and just recently this fact was acknowledged by the invitation of the EU to join the euro area and the decision of the OECD to begin accession negotiations with Latvia,” Speaker Āboltiņa said and emphasised that this success would not be possible without Germany’s continuous support for Latvia’s growth. In turn, President Gauck congratulated Latvia with its achievements and expressed support for Latvia’s decision to pursue the European path at a time when the overall situation is not unequivocal.

“Europe is our home and it is important to cherish the fundamental values of the European Union – solidarity, human rights and unity,” the Speaker of the Saeima said.

When discussing economic cooperation between the two countries Speaker Āboltiņa said: “Latvia views Germany as a strategic partner, and our country is interested in developing even closer economic ties in the future.” The Speaker of the Saeima thanked Germany for its entrepreneurs who did not lose faith in Latvia’s ability to overcome the deep economic crisis and maintained their business here. “Currently Latvia is continuing its work to create a sustainable and competitive economy based on manufacturing and export. Therefore, it is important for us to expand our economic cooperation, and Latvia is interested in attracting ever more German investments,” said the Speaker. 

Latvia appreciates the interest on the part of German entrepreneurs to invest and maintain their operations in Latvia, said Āboltiņa. In terms of foreign direct investments, Germany currently ranks as the 6th largest investor in Latvia, and the President added that the German investments in Latvia are expected to increase in the upcoming years.

The officials also addressed bilateral cooperation in the area of employment and vocational education. “The agreement on Germany’s readiness to share its experience in vocational secondary education is very important for Latvia, and we are prepared to reignite the existing cooperation between our countries, said the Speaker, adding that the Declaration of Intent to be signed during the visit attests to that.

Regarding the Eastern Partnership, the Speaker pointed out that Latvia supports the member states of the Eastern Partnership not only at the political level; Latvia provides extensive assistance and shares its experience in such areas as democracy, reforms and the EU integration. It is proposed to hold the next Eastern Partnership Summit during Latvia’s first presidency of the EU Council in 2015, since this subject is high on our presidency’s list of priorities.

Āboltiņa also emphasised the importance of parliamentary ties between Latvia and Germany at the Speaker, interparliamentary cooperation group and committee level, expressing her pleasure of having the Chairperson of the Parliamentary Friendship Group for Relations with the Baltic States of the Bundestag among the members of the delegation. The President shared Āboltiņa’s views on the good interparliamentary cooperation between the countries and indicated that it was for this very reason that the representatives of the Bundestag have been included in the delegation. 

In the conclusion of the meeting, the President signed the Guest Book of the Saeima. The Guest Book is a new tradition established upon an initiative by Solvita Āboltiņa.

Photos from the meeting are available at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/saeima/sets/72157634538744473/
When using the material, please give credit to the Saeima Chancellery.



Saeima Press Service