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President Klaus Iohannis declared on Wednesday in Riga that he agreed with his Latvian counterpart, Egils Levits, to intensify sectoral cooperation in research and innovation, new technologies, education and energy security, adding that from 1 May 2023, direct flights between Riga and Bucharest will resume.
President Iohannis said that bilateral relations with Latvia are excellent and that he informed his Latvian counterpart about the decision to open the Romanian Embassy in Riga.
"It is proof of the special importance we attach to the relationship with Latvia, to the desire to deepen bilateral cooperation, as well as our coordination within the European Union, NATO, regional and multilateral formats," Iohannis added.
He thanked his Latvian counterpart for the constant support of Romania's objectives of accession to the Schengen Area, respectively to the OECD.
"We decided to deepen the coordination within the European Union, considering the fact that our positions on the main European files, which we discussed in detail, are very close," Iohannis stressed.
The discussions also focused on the energy crisis, a context in which the Romanian president emphasized the importance of close coordination on topics of common interest at the European level, especially in terms of security of supply and price reduction. Cooperation opportunities in the context of the energy transition were also discussed.
Iohannis presented the Latvian president with Romania's support measures for the Republic of Moldova. He indicated that Romania and Latvia are engaged in the advancement of the European Union enlargement process.
"I reaffirmed my support for the European future of the Western Balkans, as well as for the European integration of the Republic of Moldova, Ukraine and Georgia, based on their own merits," Iohannis said.
The two officials also discussed the situation in Ukraine, a context in which the determined actions of the European and Euro-Atlantic community to increase the pressure on the Kremlin, including through new sanctions, were welcomed.
"I also reconfirmed Romania's participation, in 2023, in the NATO air police mission in the Baltic states," Iohannis said.
The Latvian official welcomed Romania's decision to participate in the NATO air police mission in the Baltic countries in 2023.
"I would like to thank Romania for its decision to open an embassy in Riga. It is a very important decision for bilateral relations and it is an opportunity to strengthen these relations on a practical level, on a political level, to strengthen our common positions in several fields," Egils Levits also said.
President Klaus Iohannis is paying an official visit to Latvia on Wednesday. On Thursday, the Romanian president will kick off an official visit to Lithuania.AGERPRES
