On 14 September President Edgars Rinkēvičs visited Jelgava state city. During the visit, the President of Latvia met with the leadership of Jelgava City Council, visited the reconstructed Jelgava High School of Technology, where he met with students of Jelgava Music High School, Jelgava State Gymnasium, Jelgava Technical College, Jelgava Spīdola State Gymnasium and Jelgava Secondary School of Crafts.
During his visit, President Rinkēvičs visited the Latvian University of Life Sciences and Technologies, got acquainted with the Jelgava Emergency Medical Service Brigade Support Centre and "Gren" biomass cogeneration station, as well as met with the city entrepreneurs at the Jelgava Business Incubator. At the Jelgava business incubator, the President of Latvia had the opportunity to assess the achievements of the companies and get acquainted with the entrepreneurs' vision of development. For example, several companies in Jelgava have developed their ideas and started exporting goods and services with the help of the Jelgava Business Incubator over the past few years. President Rinkēvičs expressed the opinion that it was important to continue this kind of state support, thus increasing the country's competitiveness in the global market.
"Jelgava has played an important role in the creation of the Latvian state and has an important place in the life of Zemgale and the whole country today. Jelgava is not only a "student city" with the Latvian University of Life Sciences and Technology, but also an industrial city with a developed manufacturing industry. Today, I was very pleased to meet pupils from all Jelgava schools at the Jelgava High School of Technology and students at the Latvian University of Life Sciences and Technology. The pupils and students raised a number of issues that should be addressed at a national level, such as tobacco and alcohol control and the quality and accessibility of education. During my visit, I was convinced that the enterprising people of Jelgava have managed to attract investment from foreign investors while helping local producers to develop. Jelgava has combined quality everyday life with an active business environment," said President Edgars Rinkēvičs at the end of his visit.
President E. Rinkēvičs participated in a solemn event dedicated to the 164th birthday of the first President of Latvia Jānis Čakste, addressing Jelgava residents at the J. Čakste Monument. Jelgava has the only monument to the President of Latvia outside Riga, and on 14 September last year, to mark the centenary of the institution of the President of Latvia, a square of the Presidents of Latvia was created at the monument to J. Čakste. Continuing the tradition and honouring the first President and the institution of the President of Latvia, E. Rinkēvičs planted an oak tree in the square.
