On Wednesday, March 3, Prime Minister Māris Kučinskis met with the Prime Minister of Lithuania, Algirdas Butkevičius; both leaders agreed on good cooperation and an intensive political dialogue between the countries.
During the meeting, the two Heads of Government discussed this year's symbolic anniversary of Latvia and Lithuania - 25 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations. Preparations for centenary events and the need to cooperate were also discussed. "Our three countries must stand together," urged the Head of Government of Latvia. "We must stick together because this way we are stronger – we must cooperate in the economy, in strengthening the security and promoting the unity of the Baltic States."
As regards bilateral relations, Prime Minister Māris Kučinskis emphasized the importance of progress in negotiations on agreements for economic cooperation and maintenance of the Latvian-Lithuanian state borders. The two sides agreed to continue active work on these issues. M. Kučinskis also highlighted Latvia's interest in restoring the railway section Mazeikiai – Reņģe. "This is an important issue, given the potential volume of freight traffic from Mazeikiai," said the Prime Minister.
The Latvian Prime Minister and Lithuanian Prime Minister also welcomed good economic cooperation and urged for even more active cooperation. "Last year there was a significant increase in investment," said A. Butkevičius, while M. Kučinskis pointed out that, "Lithuania is Latvia's largest trading partner and one of our major investors."
Māris Kučinskis informed the Prime Minister of Lithuania of the progress in liberalization of the Latvian natural gas market and pointed out that, "at present our legislation is aligned to purchase gas from Lithuania". During discussion, the Head of Government of Latvia expressed support to his neighbours in establishing the regional natural gas market and strengthening energy security. This support includes contributing to the development of regional infrastructure projects such as the modernization of the Inčukalns gas storage facility and the Estonian-Finnish and Lithuanian-Polish interconnections.
From 2-3 March, Prime Minister Māris Kučinskis is paying introductory visits to Estonia and Lithuania. In Estonia, the Prime Minister meets Prime Minister Taavi Rõivas and President Toomas Hendrik Ilves, while in Lithuania - Prime Minister Algirdas Butkevičius and President Dalia Grybauskaitė. The Prime Minister will also visit the Kohila Vineer company in Estonia and factory Sakret in Lithuania.
Information prepared by:
Lita Juberte
Press Secretary to the Cabinet of Ministers
Phone: 67082919; 28803639
E-mail: lita.juberte@mk.gov.lv
Andrejs Vaivars
Press Secretary to the Prime Minister
Phone: +371 29228678
E-mail: Andrejs.Vaivars@mk.gov.lv