Successful development of the country requires constant dialogue between government and municipalities - Karins

RIGA - Permanent dialogue between the government and local governments is necessary for the successful development of Latvia, Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins (New Unity) emphasized during a meeting with Latvian local government leaders on Thursday.

As LETA was told by the prime minister's office, Karins plans to hold regular meetings with the heads of local governments.

"The government has defined a broad transformation of the economy as the main goal in order to increase the share of exports in the economy. It is essential to involve local governments in this work, as they play an important role in ensuring the investment environment," said the Prime Minister.

The chairman of the Association of Local Governments of Latvia, Gints Kaminskis, states that today's meeting gives the impression that the Prime Minister counts on local governments as strong partners, which will continue to be involved in making and implementing important decisions for the state and its residents in the future during the work of the government. Local governments have also confirmed that the government can rely on them in times of crisis.

At the same time, Kaminskis believes that it is necessary to organize such meetings with local government leaders regularly, at least once every six months.

During the meeting, the Prime Minister and heads of municipalities discussed a wide range of issues, including the rise in energy prices, compliance of state support programs in accordance with the needs of municipalities, implementation of the civil defense system, involvement in the preparation of the next year's state budget, additional funding for salaries of municipal employees and other issues relevant to municipalities.