“Germany is one of our most important trading partners and foreign investors. We see great potential to expand cooperation in areas with high added value, including renewable energy, digitalisation and defence," said Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica, Deputy Speaker of the Saeima, Chair of the Group for promoting cooperation with the German Parliament, on Monday 6 November, meeting with Wolfgang Kubicki, Vice President of the German Bundestag in Berlin, Germany.
Germany is Latvia’s third largest trading partner in both import and export. In 2022, the total turnover of Latvia’s trade in goods and services with Germany was EUR 4.98 billion. Latvia is also interested in attracting more direct investment from Germany, including in the field of renewable energy.
“Latvia aims to become an electricity exporter by 2030,” said the Deputy Speaker of the Saeima.
When discussing cooperation between Latvia and Germany in the field of education, parliamentarians discussed the possibility of further offering German as a second foreign language in the Latvian education system alongside French and Spanish.
Turning to the security situation in the region, Kalniņa-Lukaševica thanked Germany for its contribution to the protection of the Baltic airspace, as well as noted our country’s interest in long-term cooperation in defence procurements.
Regarding the Russian war in Ukraine, the parties unanimously expressed their unwavering support for Ukraine and stressed the need to hold the culprits accountable. The Deputy Speaker of the Saeima stressed the need for progress in the establishment of an international tribunal. The establishment of a compensation mechanism to ensure that Russian frozen assets are diverted to the reconstruction of Ukraine as well as the functioning of the Damages Register were also discussed.
The Deputy Speaker is accompanied by Jana Simanovska, Chair of the Group for promoting cooperation with the German Parliament, and members of the Group – Juris Viļums and Jānis Vucāns, who also chairs the Mandate, Ethics and Submissions Committee. The Latvian delegation also met with the German-Baltic parliamentary group of the Bundestag on Monday, 6 November. The Group for promoting cooperation with the German Parliament is visiting Germany after a 10-year break.
Kalniņa-Lukaševica, together with the delegation, is visiting Berlin until 8 November, to discuss with German officials the possibilities of Latvia and Germany to expand economic relations, cooperation in the field of energy production and research, as well as further steps in support of Ukraine.
Saeima Press Service