President of Latvia Egils Levits met with Federal President of Germany Dr Frank Walter Steinmeier in Berlin today.
Both officials have stressed the good relations between Latvia and Germany, as well as the close relationship of both Presidents with the other country, because Dr Frank Walter Steinmeier has visited Latvia both as the Foreign Minister and as the Federal President seven times so far, while Egils Levits is linked with Germany by his studies and job in various German Lands.
During the meeting, the future of Europe, security issues, and future global challenges were discussed.
Egils Levits welcomed the fact that climate issues were also on the agenda of the Federal President of Germany. According to the President of Latvia, Latvia is proud to join the eight European countries that have prioritised climate neutrality in the European Union. For his part, the Federal President of Germany noted that the public should understand that climate issues cannot be resolved in a couple of years and that this topic should be in the spotlight.
Speaking about the future of Europe, the President of Latvia emphasised that the ideas of all Member States were crucial in building a common future. “The scale of ideas does not depend on the size of the country. We all have the opportunity to make a creative input to the future of Europe and the global challenges, and to contribute,” stated Egils Levits.
The two Presidents also discussed the impact technology development had on our lives and the issues of European security. The President of Latvia added that he would visit the European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats in Helsinki at the end of August, and he said that the issues of European information policy were material for the future of Europe. The two parties also exchanged views on the current events on Brexit and the challenges ahead for the European Commission in the coming months.
During the meeting, they paid great attention to transatlantic relations and European security issues, as well as the German presence in the Baltic States. Relations between the European Union and Russia, relations with Ukraine were also discussed. Being lawyers by education, both Presidents also exchanged views on the development of European legal policy.
Before his meeting with Federal President of Germany Dr Frank Walter Steinmeier, President of Latvia Egils Levits also met with the President of the Bundestag Dr Wolfgang Schäuble. Egils Levits appreciated both meetings and expressed his conviction that the future Latvian-German dialogue would be as comprehensive and deep.
The working visit will continue with meeting representatives of the Latvian diaspora on August 17.
