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On Wednesday, 6 June, during her meeting with Toomas Hendrik Ilves, President of the Republic of Estonia, Solvita Āboltiņa, Speaker of the Saeima, emphasised the necessity to generate more practical benefits from the excellent bilateral relations between Latvia and Estonia by implementing mutually important joint projects in the areas of education, health-care and information technology.

When greeting her guest in the Saeima, the Speaker stressed that the bilateral relations between Latvia and Estonia are excellent on all political levels, including parliamentary level. Close cooperation has been established between the speakers of both parliaments, as well as on the committee and interparliamentary cooperation group level; regular contacts also take place within regional cooperation formats – the Baltic Assembly and in the so-called NB8 format, which brings together the speakers of parliaments of the three Baltic States and five Nordic countries.

Both parties agreed that the active bilateral political contacts between Latvia and Estonia are solid basis for closer practical cooperation which can be achieved by implementing joint projects in the areas of education, health-care and information technology, including the use of European Union (EU) financing. The Speaker of the Saeima emphasised the role of parliamentary committees in this process because successful implementation of joint projects often requires legislative amendments.

When discussing the current issues of the EU agenda, Āboltiņa accentuated the importance of cooperation among the Baltic States in negotiations on the new EU multiannual budget. “Cohesion financing and direct agricultural payments are a priority in the budget negotiations for both Latvia and Estonia. Taking into consideration the limited administrative resources of our countries, regular consultations among the Baltic States about these issues will increase our chances to successfully defend our national interests in the budget negotiations,” Āboltiņa said.

The Speaker of the Saeima also expressed Latvia’s interest in the successful implementation of the Rail Baltica project, which will allow our country to become fully integrated into the European railway system.

Photos from the meeting are available at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/saeima/sets/72157630002282223/with/7344501204/
Video from the meeting is available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0pWcbcqOPw&list=UUdQ1YxaZG3i7ygGCdU8mPKQ&index=2&feature=plcp
When using the material, please give credit to the Saeima Chancellery.

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