Latvian high officials offer support to Georgia

Latvian high officials have welcomed Georgia's Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili to the Latvian capital city of Riga.

The Georgian official has met numerous Latvian high officials on his official visit to Latvia, including meeting Latvia's Prime Minister and President today.

The meetings were held within the European Year of Development 2015 international conference, which is set to open later today. The event will be attended by various country leaders and high officials of the European Union. Prime Minister Garibashvili is set to deliver a speech at the event's opening ceremony.

Meanwhile, during Garibashvili's meeting with Latvian Prime Minister Laimdota Straujuma, the pair discussed prospects of bilateral relations between Latvia and Georgia in the fields of economy, higher education and defence.

At the meeting the sides also talked about Latvia’s cooperation with Georgia within the Eastern Partnership program, relations between NATO and Georgia, interior policy issues of Georgia as well as the geopolitical situation in Ukraine and Russia.

Garibashvili emphasized Latvia’s role in the process of further development of the Eastern Partnership program and expressed readiness to implement reforms considering the European integration agenda.

In response, Latvia’s Prime Minister announced her country would support Georgia implement the Visa Liberalisation Action Plan (VLAP), which would allow Georgian citizens to travel easier to EU countries.

The biggest part of the meeting was dedicated to discussing the threats facing Georgia’s territorial integrity. Straujuma again confirmed her support to the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Georgia.

"We discussed the so-called 'Alliance and Strategic Partnership' treaty signed between Georgia's breakaway region Abkhazia and Russia on November 24. We also expressed deep concern over the same deal planned with Georgia’s another breakaway Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) region," Garibashvili said. 

"We value the support of Latvia, the EU and the entire international community, especially in times when our neighbour continues destructive actions against the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia."

Irakli Garibashvili with Latvian President Andris Berzins in the Presidential Palace in Riga. Photo by PM's press office.

Earlier, PM Garibashvili met Latvian president Andris Berzins in Riga. Garibashvili also discussed the prospects of Georgia’s European path, the Eastern Partnership Summit to be held in May in Riga and enhancing business relations between the two countries.

Garibashvili and Berzins met face-to-face in the palace of the Latvian president and then held a meeting in an extended format.

The sides talked about the so-called ‘Alliance and Integration’ treaty to be signed between Russia and Georgia’s breakaway region Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) and once again condemned signing the analogical treaty with Abkhazia.

One of the main topics of the meeting was the importance of effective implementation of Georgia's Association Agreement (AA), which included the Deep and Comprehensive Free trade Area (DCFTA). PM Garibashvili noted Georgia was ready to show the "significant progress" it had made at the upcoming Riga Summit.

In addition, Garibashvili stressed the importance of Latvian president’s visit to Georgia in November 2014, during which a Georgia-Latvia business forum was held and agreements between the two countries' Foreign Ministries were signed, while a round table meeting was also facilitated for representatives of different schools.

The Georgian delegation meets chairman of the Latvian Saeima, Inara Murniece. Photo by PM's press office.

Today in Riga PM Garibashvili and the Georgian delegation also met with chairman of the Latvian Saeima, Inara Murniece. Duing the meeting the parties stressed the importance of inter-parliamentary friendship groups.

The sides also emphasized that the planned future visit of Georgian Parliament Speaker David Usupashvili to Riga, expected to be held in 2015, would contribute to the cooperation between the legislative bodies of the two countries.

In addition, Garibashvili thanked the chairman of Saeima for supporting Georgia’s European and Euro-Atlantic course.