Rinkevics sets three strategic goals for the government - strengthening security, improving demography and the economy

RIGA - The Latvian government should work to achieve three strategic goals - strengthening security, improving demography and the economy, President of Latvia Edgars Rinkevics said in an interview with TV3 on Friday.

According to the politician, last year the government's strategic goals were not really visible, but this year there should be at least three of them. The first one is stopping the demographic decline, where there are things that the government can influence, such as financial support for young families, and things that affect birth rates but are not directly dependent on the current government, such as the demographic potholes of the 1990s and the impact of the war.

Rinkevics mentioned security issues as another strategic goal that the government should work towards, where the President believes the government can be commended for its work so far. The third objective should be to boost economic growth.

If these objectives are met, confidence in the government will improve, the President said, acknowledging that the public's assessment of the government is currently quite critical.

The President said that he would meet with all parties represented in the Saeima at the beginning of the year to discuss policy issues.

He acknowledged that the issue of the search for the next President of the Bank of Latvia had raised some questions about stability in the coalition. Rinkevics urged politicians to find a candidate who has broader support in the Saeima and is not elected only with the votes of the ruling coalition.

As for the latest problems at the state-owned airline airBaltic, which came to light at the beginning of the year, the President said that there were serious questions about the management of the company, about what was happening at airBaltic and about the attraction of a strategic investor. I find it hard to believe that airBaltic could not have foreseen the problems with engine maintenance when it sold tickets for the flights currently being cancelled, the politician said.

Rinkevics stressed that he was waiting not only for ministers' tweets, but for serious action, including the Ministry of Transport as a shareholder explaining to the public what is happening in the company. "airBaltic is important for Latvia, both in terms of bringing people to Latvia and in terms of allowing the country's residents to travel abroad," the President noted.

The year will be very complex and dynamic, the President said.