Artis Pabriks and Secretary General of the Nordic Council of Ministers wish to strengthen co-operation

On 25 April the conference Partnership 2008, organised jointly by the Nordic Council of Ministers (NCM) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs took place in Riga. At the conference, Minister Pabriks and NCM Secretary General Halldor Asgrimsson emphasized the need to strengthen co-operation between the Baltic states and Nordic countries in order to face global challenges.

Mr Pabriks emphasized that this region can retain or enhance its impact on international developments provided that the rapid economic development of the countries continues and that the countries retain their vitality and predictability. Mr Asgrimsson accentuated co-operation in the spheres of business, innovations, culture and public administration.

The conference was organised to discuss further Latvia-NCM co-operation in the context of the new guidelines. Participants of the conference included representatives from sector ministries, the Latvian Investment and Development Agency, the Employers' Confederation of Latvia, and non-governmental organisations.

As part of his visit, the NCM Secretary General met with the Foreign Ministry's Deputy State Secretary, Ilgvars Klava, with whom he discussed further co-operation between Latvia and the NCM, the upcoming Latvian presidency of the Council of the Baltic Sea States, and other regional issues. 

For a number of years now, work has been on-going towards the improvement of co-operation between the Nordic Council of Ministers and the Baltic states. The year 2007 can be considered a transition period during which consultations are carried out with respect to the further Baltic-NCM co-operation model. It is planned that the model will be operational as of 2008 and that it will be based on the principle of equal partnership. 

Mr Halldor Asgrimsson commenced his duties as the NCM Secretary General on 1 January, and this is his first visit to Latvia in the new position

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