On 23 October President Edgars Rinkēvičs met with Minister of Transport Kaspars Briškens at the Riga Castle to discuss the Rail Baltica project, procurement of electric trains and Ukrainian grain transit.
‘The Rail Baltica project is essential from an economic, security and logistics perspective not only for the Baltic States, but also for the wider region, including Ukraine. Therefore, it is important to remove all possible obstacles to the successful implementation of the project, including financial issues and the timely completion of construction. Cost reduction and efficient project management is the task of all parties involved,’ emphasised President Rinkēvičs.
During the meeting, the President of Latvia got acquainted with the current information on the delivery and certification of electric trains. President Rinkēvičs positively assessed the readiness of the Minister of Transport not to reduce the number of railway stations until a well-thought-out alternative solution has been developed.
The parties discussed Latvia's support for the transit of Ukrainian grain through Latvia. E. Rinkēvičs noted that the first cargo of Ukrainian grain successfully received at the port of Riga this month is a good start of the cooperation with Ukraine in the field of logistics and should be continued.
The President of Latvia expressed to the Minister of Transport the problems highlighted during the regional working visits regarding the quality of roads and the mobility possibilities for the residents in order to promote the quality of life of the population and the development of the region. The President also drew attention to the need to look for a solution to ensure access to quality and independent media in the regions.
