President Ilves met with the Latvian Head of State in Riga
Monday, 03 November 2008 10:40
President Toomas Hendrik Ilves, who was attending the third international foreign and security policy conference in Riga, met with Latvian Head of State Valdis Zatlers on Saturday.
Presidents Ilves and Zatlers focused on the global financial crisis and its possible impact on the economy of Europe and, more specifically, the Baltic countries.
“In order to cope in the current, complicated situation, countries must definitely have financial reserves and a realistic budgetary policy,” President Ilves stressed.
Heads of State Ilves and Zatlers considered cooperation and the exchange of information between countries to be important, and this especially between neighbors, which are inevitably affected by each other’s developments.
“Regardless of the problems in the near future, we must have the wisdom to direct our gaze beyond today and see the greater goal and challenge of joining the Euro zone,” President Ilves said. “If we accept this challenge, all subsequent decisions must be seen through this prism.”
Adopting the Euro has been the third important factor in defining the security of the Baltic countries after accession to NATO and the European Union, President Ilves affirmed.
Presidents Ilves and Zatlers also discussed the Russian policy of the European Union after the Russian-Georgian war.
The Estonian and Latvian Presidents also spoke about preparations for the joint parade of the Estonian and Latvian Defence Leagues (Kaitseliit and Zemessardze respectively) next June 23rd in Võnnu (Cēsis), which will commemorate the 90th anniversary of the Battle of Võnnu.
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