On Thursday 25 January, Prime Minister Māris Kučinskis met with Fabiola Gianotti, Director-General of CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research in Davos.
In May 2017, a letter was sent to CERN expressing Latvia's potential willingness to join CERN. Now this issue is also formally on the agenda of the Latvian government, including the issue of allocating state budget funds for CERN membership. It is planned that this issue will be on the agenda of the Cabinet of Ministers in the near future. During the meeting, Ms Gianotti confirmed that CERN is ready to fully cooperate with Latvia to admit our country into its ranks.
M. Kučinskis welcomed the fact that negotiations on several cooperation projects of Latvian entrepreneurs and universities are underway even before Latvia's accession to CERN. "The visit of the Latvian entrepreneurs to CERN on 18 January this year has given momentum for cooperation. Cooperation with CERN is a good training platform for the most active exporters in Latvia and the leading industry sectors to think and offer high-tech goods and services", said M. Kučinskis.
The diplomatic work is currently under way with the member states of CERN Council in relation to Latvia's desire to become a member of CERN. The Centre of High Energy Physics and Accelerator Technologies has started work in Latvia (RTU and LU); its central task being the development of high-energy physics scientific discipline in Latvia. Latvia has several successful and mutually beneficial cooperation projects with CERN. The Latvian government supports and is willing to expand these projects.
The meeting of the Prime Minister and the Director-General of CERN was held within the framework of the World Economic Forum in Davos.
Andrejs Vaivars
Press Secretary to the Prime Minister
Mob.: 29228678
E-mail: Andrejs.Vaivars@mk.gov.lv