On Wednesday, March 2, Prime Minister Māris Kučinskis will pay an introductory visit to Estonia. Within its framework, meetings with the Prime Minister of Estonia, Taavi Rõivas, and the President of Estonia, Toomas Hendrik Ilves, are planned. The Prime Minister will also visit the company Kohila Vineer.
Latvia and Estonia enjoy active bilateral cooperation in various fields and levels. Latvia and Estonia are close strategic partners with intense political dialogue and a dynamic economic cooperation. Estonia is one of the most important economic partners of Latvia; their mutual trade develops dynamically, exceeding EUR 1.85 billion a year.
The Prime Minister stresses that, in light of the good neighbourly relationship between the two countries, Latvia is interested in further intensive economic dialogues with Estonia. Latvia welcomes the presence of Estonian investment in Latvia; Estonia is the eighth-largest investor in Latvia with a direct investment of more than EUR 377 million. In February 2016, Estonia’s direct investment in equity capital of Latvian companies amounted to EUR 377.9 million, and there were 2,603 Estonian-Latvian joint ventures listed in the Enterprise Register.
Māris Kučinskis expresses hope for Estonia’s support in negotiations on Latvia’s membership in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) by highlighting the achievements of Latvia and its determination to continue reforms.
As has been reported previously, in 2016 Latvia will coordinate the Nordic-Baltic co-operation in the NB8 format. In order to continue its work and respond to the heightened geopolitical situation, the priorities for the NB8 format are as follows: strengthening of security in the region, which includes energy security, strategic communication, cyber security and the fight against hybrid threats; and support for the Eastern Partnership.
More detailed information:
Andrejs Vaivars
Press Secretary to the Prime Minister
Phone: 29228678
E-mail: Andrejs.Vaivars@mk.gov.lv