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On Wednesday, 26 January, on her official visit to the Republic of Estonia, Solvita Āboltiņa, Speaker of the Saeima, had a meeting with Toomas Hendrik Ilves, President of Estonia, during which she emphasised the role of the close historical ties and future cooperation between Latvia and Estonia.
“Our destinies have been intertwined during several centuries; we regained the statehood of our countries jointly, we acceded to the EU and NATO jointly, and we seek the most effective solutions to modern challenges jointly,” indicated the Speaker.
“As the Speaker of the Saeima, I will support development of closer bilateral ties with Estonia, as well as closer relations between our countries on the regional level, namely, in the framework of the Baltic Assembly and Nordic—Baltic cooperation. The unity of the Baltic States is still important in the 21st century,” attested Āboltiņa.
The Speaker also emphasised the role of an in-depth dialogue between the Baltic States and the Nordic countries. Closer cooperation among eight countries of this region would strengthen the clout of each individual partner when addressing regional and global issues; furthermore, it would facilitate more efficient use of our resources. Accenting the unwavering support of the Nordic countries for the independence of the Baltic States, Speaker Āboltiņa suggested seeking ways of integrating into the Nordic economic and cultural environment to a greater extent.
With regard to economic cooperation between both countries, the Speaker pointed out that Estonia is one of Latvia’s most significant business partners and that an increase in the trade turnover between both countries was evident again last year. Despite the fact that both countries are competitors in numerous economic spheres, they still can join their efforts and work on common investment projects that would be more competitive in conditions of global competitiveness, indicated Āboltiņa. Furthermore, during the discussion, the Speaker congratulated Estonia with introduction of the euro – the common currency of the European Union.
On 26 January, during her official visit to Estonia, the Speaker also met with Andrus Ansip, Prime Minister of Estonia. During the meeting, issues related to economic cooperation between Latvia and Estonia, as well as energy security of the Baltic States and various joint projects on infrastructure development, were addressed.
During her visit, the Speaker is accompanied by Kārlis Šadurskis, Secretary of the Saeima, and Vitālijs Orlovs, member of the Mandate, Ethics and Submissions Committee and member of the Latvian delegation to the Baltic Assembly.
Saeima Press Service