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On Tuesday, 10 September, Solvita Āboltiņa, Speaker of the Saeima, met with Sauli Niinistö, President of Finland, who is in Latvia on a state visit. During the meeting, the Speaker pointed out that relations between Finland and Latvia were formed several centuries before our statehood was established in our present territories. She added that as neighbours, we share the Baltic Sea, as well as similarities in our history, ideology and culture.

“Our history and its impact on our fates to a great extent have contributed to our mutual understanding. As nations living between the West and the East, we have experienced prosperity resulting from our favourable geographic location and disasters brought by war,” said Speaker Āboltiņa, recalling the fact that for centuries our countries have been parts of the Swedish and Russian empires.

Despite our fates in the 20th century, cooperation between our nations never ceased, said the Speaker. “Our ties were not severed even during the Soviet era, and Pori is the oldest twin city of Riga. Nowadays our mutual cooperation has significantly expanded; we have a broad cooperation network of local governments, schools, universities and non-governmental organisations,” indicated Solvita Āboltiņa. The Speaker of the Saeima also emphasised the commonalities in culture – remarkable art-nouveau architecture in Riga and Helsinki, guest shows of the Latvian National Opera in Finland, and Finland’s unique landscape, which has always inspired the Latvian composer Pēteris Vasks.

“We have close ties on all levels, and I am certain that these ties will continue uniting us for decades and centuries to come. I am satisfied that on a political level we have realised that challenges can be overcome only through close cooperation, coordinated action and mutual support. Our partnership is crucial in ensuring stability, prosperity and sustainability of our region, as well as in strengthening the place of our region on the world’s map,” said Speaker Āboltiņa to the President Niinistö.

Photos from the meeting are available at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/saeima/sets/72157635459437151/with/9717283688/
Video from the meeting is available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siIUj5nBvCA
When using the material, please give credit to the Saeima Chancellery.

Saeima Press Service