On 5 July, President of Latvia Egils Levits hosted H. E. Mr Ignazio Cassis, Vice-President of Swiss Federal Council and Head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, at the Riga Castle. He congratulated Mr Cassis on the centenary of de iure relations and 30 years since re-establishment of diplomatic relations between Latvia and Switzerland.
President Levits emphasised the traditionally good political and economic cooperation between the two countries. Switzerland has been and still is a place where considerable Latvian diaspora resides, helping the country grow its contacts with Latvia.
Egils Levits mentioned that Latvian constitution, which was drafted after the proclamation of independence, has been strongly influenced by 1848 constitution of Switzerland and Weimar constitution. Both officials also discussed how democracy works in Switzerland and how citizen can engage in country’s political life.
Ignazio Cassis invited Egils Levits to make an official visit to Switzerland next year and come to his hometown and the city which has played enormous role in Latvian culture, Lugano, where poets Rainis and Aspazija spent their exile.
President Levits and Vice-President Cassis then moved on to relations between the European Union (EU) and Switzerland. President Levits confirmed that Latvia as a member state of the EU supports friendly relations, active political dialogue and close trade ties with Union’s neighbouring countries.