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On Tuesday, 10 May, Solvita Āboltiņa, Speaker of the Saeima, met with Per Westerberg, Speaker of the Riksdag, in Stockholm and expressed her opinion that during last 20 years bilateral relations between Latvia and Sweden have been very active because both countries have had close cooperation in international politics, education, culture and economics.
“20th anniversary of restoration of de facto independence of Latvia is a wonderful opportunity to make relations between Latvia and Sweden even more dynamic,” emphasised the Speaker of the Saeima. Āboltiņa highlighted the friendly relations between both countries and invited the Speaker of the Riksdag to participate in the ceremonial events devoted to the 20th anniversary of restoration of de facto independence that will take place on 21 August in Riga.
During the meeting, Āboltiņa expressed her gratitude to Westerberg for his personal contribution to strengthening relations between both countries, including the support demonstrated at the time when Latvia’s independence was renewed. The Speaker of the Saeima highlighted opportunities to intensify interparliamentary cooperation between Latvia and Sweden. “As the Speaker of the Saeima I have set openness of parliament and transparency of political process as my priorities, and I see great opportunities for cooperation in these areas,” said Āboltiņa. During the visit, Anton Abele, who is the youngest MP of the Riksdag and is of a Latvian descent, personally introduced Latvian delegation to the experience of the Swedish parliament in improving communication with society and openness of the parliament to cooperation.
Per Westerberg proposed tightening interparliamentary cooperation regarding issues that are significant for both countries in the area of economics, including employment, education and innovation.
Furthermore, opportunities to improve cooperation in the NB8 format and topical issues concerning Eastern partnership were addressed during the meeting of both Speakers.
From 9 to 11 May, Solvita Āboltiņa, Speaker of the Saeima, is paying an official visit to the Kingdom of Sweden.
Saeima Press service