Song strengthens Russian ties

2 From wire reports, RIGA

Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis on July 5 had a meeting with visiting Russian Deputy Prime Minister Olga Golodets, where they agreed that both countries would deepen cooperation in cultural and social matters, reports LETA. Dombrovskis told reporters after the meeting that he and Golodets had discussed Latvian-Russian economic cooperation, noting the increasing trade volumes and numbers of tourists from Latvia visiting Russia and vice versa. The officials also talked about deepening cooperation on cultural and social matters.
“I hope that this meeting will be an additional stimulus and inspiration for the development of choirs, which will strengthen the cooperation between our countries,” said Dombrovskis, reiterating that Golodets was visiting Latvia to attend the Song and Dance Festival events.
Golodets said in turn that the creation of new cooperation programs in education and tourism could elevate Latvian-Russian cooperation to a whole new level.
The number of Russian tourists who visit Latvia continues to increase; last year, the increase even reached 30 percent, said Dombrovskis. “I believe there is great potential for further development. There are questions regarding the visa regime that will have to be tackled on the European Union level. Likewise, there are practical matters,” said Dombrovskis, explaining that extra staff members had been sent to the Latvian diplomatic representations in Russia to help Russian citizens apply for and receive Latvian visas.
Dombrovskis added that he hoped the Latvian-Russian intergovernmental commission’s meeting would be organized sometime later this year. o