Valdis Dombrovskis and US congressmen

An open business environment, highly qualified workforce and strategic infrastructure relations with Western and Eastern regions are Latvia’s advantages in developing economic cooperation and investment projects, said Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis to the representatives of the US Congress House of Representatives delegation.

On Saturday, June 30, the Prime Minister noted during his meeting with US congressmen that export and manufacturing have been the most important factors which helped restoring growth during the crisis. Keeping in mind the relatively slow development rates in Europe, Latvia is interested in expanding economic development with dynamically growing markets, including USA, by focusing on projects that are directed towards manufacturing, export and the creation of new jobs, the Cabinet of Ministers reports.

Strategic cooperation between USA and Latvia means a lot for the Northern distribution network – transport corridor, which provides the supply of non-military NATO shipments to Afghanistan. Latvia has a managing role in this corridor, which is why Dombrovskis noted that Latvia is interested in developing it, also servicing shipments from Afghanistan and starting servicing commercial shipments. Also, the Prime Minister informed the congressmen that Latvian businessmen are prepared to offer a wider range of products and services for the US mission in Afghanistan than before.

«Cooperation between Latvia and USA is becoming closer in not only economic, but diplomatic sense as well, and the great interest of Latvian businessmen about opportunities to cooperate with USA is becoming more apparent. This week’s visit of American business delegation and the Latvian-American business forum will be yet another impulse for the deepening of this cooperation,»- says the Prime Minister.

Dombrovskis informed the congressmen also about Latvia’s application for the membership in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and asked the American side to support Latvia’s attempts to join this organization.

Congress representatives respectively evaluated Latvia’s achievements in overcoming the crisis: restoring economic stability and growth. Also, US representatives expressed satisfaction about the mutual trade increase between Latvia and USA in recent years; they also agreed with the Prime Minister about the necessity for both sides to continue supporting this positive tendency. Congressmen were also interested in the latest developments in the European Union and the Eurozone, including the recent meeting of the European Council in Brussels.

Eight representatives of the US Congress arrived in Latvia – the Head of the delegation Dan Burton and congressmen Luis Gutirrez, Tim Holden, Eddie Bernice Johnson, Gregory Meeks, Todd Platts, Jean Schmidt and Theodore Deutsch.

Ref: 102.109.109.2331