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On a visit to Latvia, October 23-24, Romanian Senate Chairman Calin Popescu-Tariceanu underscored the highly important role that national parliaments play in shaping up European policies especially in the current context that is dominated by intense debates among member states to agree on a unitary position that will reflect their citizens' expectations.
According to a Senate press statement, the visit included parliamentary consultations with Chairman of the Latvian Parliament Inara Murniece and Chairman of the European Affairs Committee Lolita Cigane, as well as meetings with Latvia's President Raimonds Vejonis and Latvian Foreign Affairs Minister Edgars Rinkevics. Tariceanu also toured the NATO Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence in Riga and laid a wreath at the Freedom Monument built in the memory of the heroes of the Latvian War of Independence (1918-1920).
"Romania's Senate chairman underscored the highly important role that the national parliaments play in shaping up European policies,especially in the current context that is dominated by intense debates among member states to agree on a unitary position that will reflect their citizens' expectations. The Romanian dignitary voiced a wish for cooperation between the two countries to be intensified in all areas and for parliamentary consultations to be held with Latvian partners, including for the preparation of Romania's presidency of the Council of the European Union, giving that Latvia held the officein the first half of 2015."
Tariceanu underscored that Romania will continue to promote, based on the pro-European option of a wide majority of Romanian citizens, the strengthening and cohesion of the European construction, so that the historical gap among the new states of the European Union and the founding countries can be bridged. "Regarding bilateral economic cooperation, the discussions highlighted an interest in boosting commercial exchanges, with both sides welcoming the establishment of the Romanian-Latvian Chamber of Commerce as a potential instrument to create tighter connections between the business leaders of the two countries and also to contribute to increasing their interactions," according to the statement.
Also featuring on the agenda was defence and security cooperation amidst the recent developments in the Eastern vicinity, especially in the Black Sea and the Baltic Sea regions. Also mentioned was a shared wish to increase the efforts of NATO member states to further strengthen the defence and deterrence capacity against conventional and hybrid threats, as well as the resilience of the NATO eastern border countries.
Tariceanu renewed an invitation extended to the chairman of the Latvian Parliament to participate in the first parliamentary summit of the Bucharest 9 (B9) format to be held in Bucharest in the first part of 2018. Also included in the Romanian delegation were Senator Nicu Falcoi and Senator Laszlo-Odon Fejer. The visit was part of celebrations this year of the 95th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Romania and Latvia.
