During the meeting, the President of Latvia thanked for the kind welcome in Lithuania, pointed out that cooperation among the Baltic States grew and evolved significantly under current, very difficult security and economic conditions, confirming that we were able to consolidate our forces in difficult situations. The governors discussed direct and indirect effects of the sanctions imposed by Russia on the economies of both countries during their conversation.
In Lithuania, the President of Latvia stressed, “Latvian and Lithuanian relations have always been and will be very special, because we are the only brotherly people in the family of many other nationalities. Latvia and Lithuania are joined by the common future based on shared values and interests. We are not only linked by a common geography and history, but also our present tasks that we largely tackle, thanks to our membership in the European Union and NATO”
During the meeting with the President of Lithuania, the President of Latvia mentioned joint projects on military procurement as a good example of cooperation. He indicated that both sides had already agreed on such procurements, and he stressed his confidence that the cooperation should be continued in the future as well. There were also good prospects for finding such cooperation in other areas of military cooperation. In a conversation with journalists, Raimonds Vējonis said that each country had to plan its procurements according to budgetary possibilities and that the price of military equipment was much lower if bought in larger amounts, “Therefore, I would like to call for joint procurement in the Baltic States and together with Poland as well.”
Talking about the security situation, officials pointed to significance of cooperation between NATO and the EU in order to build a more efficient strategic communication. Dalia Grybauskaite presented her experience in creating public awareness about the opportunities to combat different kinds of misinformation.
The President of Latvia pointed out that particularly important and close cooperation united the two countries in the area of regional infrastructure development - transport and energy connections of the Baltic States to Poland and the Nordic countries were essential for development of the Baltic States, in the broadest sense of the word. The President of Latvia also mentioned that the Baltic States shared a strategic interest in developing the project Rail Baltica, which would enable integration of the Baltic railway infrastructure in the EU rail network.
The officials indicated that activation of the Latvian-Lithuanian intergovernmental committee was necessary in order to help solving practical issues of cooperation between local governments and various services in the border area, and they called for strengthening coordination of rescue and search work both at sea and on land.
Answering the question of mass media regarding his position as regards Greece, Raimonds Vējonis stressed, “Latvia has been able to make difficult decisions during the crisis that enabled us to overcome the economic problems. Latvia believes that Greece should also be able to find solutions to get out of “that economic pit” where it got. Of course, the European Union must show solidarity in such a situation, but Greece must comply with an essential prerequisite first - it must restore trust in itself as a state by meeting undertaken commitments. This is an essential prerequisite for Europe to find solutions how we can help Greece.”
During the meeting with the Speaker of the Lithuanian Parliament Loreta Graužiniene, bilateral cooperation between the Parliaments of both countries as well as the Baltic and Nordic parliamentary cooperation were discussed. An important part of the conversation was devoted to cooperation between the two countries in strengthening regional security, and the EU's future action in tackling the economic situation in Greece. The officials discussed current issues related to the Mediterranean refugee crisis.
