WAM RIGA, 19th March, 2014 (WAM) — H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Foreign Minister, today met his Latvian counterpart, Edgars Rinkevics.
During the meeting, which took place in the Latvian capital Riga, both parties reviewed aspects of cooperation between the two countries in various fields in addition to discussing a number of issues of mutual concern and exchanging views on the latest and current developments.
During a joint press conference with the foreign minister of Latvia, Sheikh Abdullah expressed his pleasure to meet with Latvian President Andris Berzins and Prime Minister Laimdota Straujuma.
He also expressed his pride of the U.A.E. and Latvia’s relationship, noting that his current visit to Latvia will contribute to boosting ties of cooperation between the two friendly countries.
Sheikh Abdullah said, "The bilateral relationship’s route bodes a lot of optimism, where we are working on boosting them for the good of the peoples of the two countries through enhanced cooperation in several areas, including aviation and investment, and coordinating positions in the international arena through our recent signing on a memorandum of understanding in the field of political consultations." He said that he is looking forward to signing more agreements in the near future.
HH added, "We are delighted with Latvia’s intent to open its embassy in the United Arab Emirates by the end of this year, which will contribute to the strengthening of bilateral relations which were founded in 1995, since when a lot of effective steps have been taken by the two friendly countries in order to strengthening the bilateral relationship over the years. This has a positive impact on the convergence of our two peoples as Latvian citizens are exempted from visa requirement when entering the U.A.E.. We look forward to the activation of the E.U.’s decision to exempt U.A.E. citizens from acquiring prior visas for the Schengen area at the earliest opportunity." Sheikh Abdullah expressed his hope for further cooperation between the two countries in various fields.
At the end of his speech, Sheikh Abdullah extended his thanks to the Latvian foreign minister for his warm hospitality and stressed that the U.A.E. aims to further cooperation with the Republic of Latvia in the future.
For his part, Edgars Rinkevics emphasised the keen interest of his country on strengthening economic relations with the U.A.E., noting that boosting cooperation between them could shed light on joint investment opportunities in areas of agriculture, pharmacology, civil aviation and wood industry.
He also expressed his hope for further enhancement of bilateral relations between his country and the U.A.E., commending the march of progress and development being witnessed by the U.A.E. in various fields.
The foreign minister of Latvia noted that the visit of Sheikh Abdullah would have beneficial results for the existing friendly relations between the two countries and their peoples.
Juma Mubarak Al Junaibi, UAE Ambassador to Germany and Non-resident Ambassador to Latvia, attended both the meeting and the press conference.
Hanaa/Esraa WAM/Esraa/Moran/tfaham