Latvija in brief - 2011-07-07

During the morning of July 1, Noord Natie Ventspils Terminals board member Sergejs Goncarovs, born in 1961, was shot dead in Targale County (western Latvia), reports LETA. State Police Kurzeme Region Department spokeswoman Jolanta Knise said that several bullet wounds were established, meaning that multiple shots were fired during the assault. The investigation continues. The shooting took place at a summer cottage where Goncarovs and his wife were located. Both police and emergency medical services received the call at around 6 a.m. Goncarovs was killed at the cottage. His wife heard shots and ran out, but did not see the assailant, noted State Police Ventspils Department acting chief Girts Kokins. The murder weapon has not been found yet. Goncarovs was “a high-level professional, who was able to ensure the successful operation of Noord Natie Ventspils Terminals by attracting new types of cargo,” transit sector expert Aivars Gobins said.

From July 8 until July 12, Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis (Unity) will pay an official visit to Brazil, which will be followed by another visit to the United States, reports LETA. The visits will be aimed at promoting political dialogue and developing Latvian-Brazilian and Latvian-American business activities. The prime minister will be accompanied by a delegation of Latvian businessmen, representing various sectors, including transport, logistics, energy, IT, and metal processing. In Brazil Dombrovskis will meet with president of the Senate of Brazil, Jose Sarney de Araujo Costa, Finance Minister Guido Mantega, External Relations Minister Antonio Patriota and other high-ranking officials and members of Brazil’s business community. In the U.S., Dombrovskis will meet with U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Timothy Geithner, Congressman Gregory Meeks, Texas Governor Rick Perry. He will also visit several U.S. companies including Cisco, the New York Stock Exchange and NASDAQ. Dombrovskis’ visit to the United States will last until July 23.

Riga City Council on July 5 gave the go ahead to the Freeport of Riga to dredge the Daugava River, and thereby deepen it to 15 meters, reports LETA. Forty city councilmen approved the measure, with six voting against and four abstaining. The deepening of the Riga Port’s main shipping route out to sea is planned to be carried out in two stages - from 2012 to 2014, and from 2014 to 2018. It is planned that about 12 million cubic meters of soil/mud will be taken out of the Daugava River during the deepening operation. In 2009, the European Commission allocated 820,000 euros in financial support for the project. Approximately 4,000 ships per year dock at the Riga Port.