Tuesday, August 23, 2016

Veep Meet and Greet: The Prime Minister and President of Latvia

 
Vice President Biden met today with Prime Minister of the Republic of Latvia Maris Kucinskis in Riga. The Vice President emphasized the unshakable U.S. commitment to the security of the Baltic states and welcomed the steps Latvia is taking to strengthen its national defense, including by increasing defense spending to 2 percent of GDP by 2018. The two leaders agreed on the importance of expanding trade and investment ties between the United States and Latvia. 

The Vice President congratulated the Prime Minister on Latvia’s accession to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and welcomed Prime Minister Kucinskis’ commitment to continue implementing OECD recommendations, including reform of Latvia’s state-owned enterprises. 

Underscoring the progress Latvia has made in tightening regulation of its banking sector and cracking down on money laundering, the Vice President encouraged Prime Minister Kucinskis to take further steps to improve Latvia’s investment climate. The Vice President urged comprehensive reform to improve transparency, reduce corruption, and regain public confidence. 

The Vice President also encouraged Prime Minister Kucinskis to pursue reforms to increase the efficiency and transparency of the judicial system, noting that slow and opaque court proceedings are a significant obstacle to greater investment by U. S. companies in Latvia. 

In addition, Vice President Biden met with President of the Republic of Latvia Raimonds Vejonis in Riga today. The two leaders welcomed the decisions taken at last month’s NATO Summit in Warsaw to strengthen security along the Alliance’s eastern border, and the Vice President emphasized the ironclad U.S. commitment to Article 5 of the Washington Treaty. 

The Vice President also welcomed the progress Latvia has made in improving its national resilience, including its efforts to liberalize the gas sector, and reduce illegal activity in the banking system. 

Source: The White House, Office of the Vice President

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