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On Tuesday, 22 September, Inese Lībiņa-Egnere, Deputy Speaker of the Saeima, met with Aidan Kirwan, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Ireland. The Deputy Speaker highlighted the large number of Latvian nationals living and working in Ireland, and the importance of maintaining contacts between them and their homeland. Lībiņa-Egnere expressed her gratitude to the Irish ambassador for his contribution in addressing issues of vital importance for Latvian citizens, and voiced hope that the active dialogue would continue.

Deputy Speaker Lībiņa-Egnere touched upon the issue of children removed from Latvian families and raised by foster parents in Ireland, pointing out the importance of providing them with opportunities to maintain their national identity. She also referred to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, according to which, upon deciding on out-of-family care, courts should take into account the child’s ethnic, religious, cultural and linguistic origin.

Lībiņa-Egnere applauded the progress achieved in countering sham marriages through appropriate amendments made in Irish legislation, while urging Irish partners to continue their efforts in this area in order to effectively prevent human trafficking from which many Latvian citizens have suffered.

Regarding bilateral economic relations, the Deputy Speaker expressed appreciation of the Irish embassy’s efforts in promoting business ties between Latvia and Ireland, noting the willingness of Latvian dairy producers to learn from the extensive Irish experience. In this regard, the ambassador expressed satisfaction with the fact that trade turnover between the two countries has been growing recently.

The discussion also covered such topics as the political situation in Ireland and the EU political agenda regarding asylum seekers. 

Photos from the meeting are available at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/saeima/albums/72157658891432796
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e40mbVC4CAY 
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Saeima Press Service