Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Pavlo Klimkin met with Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia Edgars Rikevics on a visit to Ukraine.
The negotiations mainly focused on Latvia’s Presidency in the Council of the EU in the first half of 2015. The parties discussed cooperation with a view of supporting Ukraine’s European integration bid. The Latvian Minister reassured of the readiness of his country to share its integration experience and assist Ukraine in effective implementation of the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the EU, in particular through promoting the adoption of a decision to introduce the visa-free regime between Ukraine and the EU during the Eastern Partnership Summit in Riga in May 2015.
The parties discussed topical issues of bilateral cooperation with the focus on prospects of trade and economic, as well as investment cooperation.
The Latvian side expressed its readiness to comprehensively assist in conducting regional reforms in Ukraine, in particular in the introduction of electronic self-government, power decentralization, counteraction of corruption.
The dominating topic during the talks was also the situation in the east of Ukraine and adherence to the Minsk agreements. Edgars Rinkevics confirmed Latvia’s strong support of sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine and reassured of the readiness to exert further efforts to stop Russian aggression and settle the situation in the East of Ukraine by peaceful means – through political and diplomatic dialogue. The principled and constant position of Latvia is the condemnation of the annexation of Crimea by Russia.