Main task of the president is to unite society - Rinkevics

RIGA - The main task of the President of Latvia is to unite society, President Edgars Rinkevics said in an interview with Latvian Radio.

Looking back at the past year since his election, Rinkevics said that in his opinion, his appointment to the office of the President was a normal political process, where each party had a choice of actions. Only the public could judge whether there had been any significant gains as a result of the process, which also saw a change of government.

Since taking office in July last year, Rinkevics has made 23 regional visits. During these visits, he has realized that what you see on social media and in media discussions, the issues raised there, are not what people are worried about - especially outside Riga.

"In the regions there are completely different priorities. We are a very fragmented society, not only on ethnic issues but also on other issues. Also on economic development. For example, we talk about the need to develop the economy, industry, but when an investor comes along, it's 'never in my municipality'. These are difficult things to solve," Rinkevics said.

If a year ago he did not know what the main task of the president was, now it is understood - the president has to unite society to the maximum, the official admitted.