 The President of the Republic of Slovenia, Dr Danilo Türk, and his wife, Barbara Mikliè Türk, arrived on an official visit to Latvia, where they were received by the President of the Republic of Latvia, Valdis Zatlers and his wife, Lilita Zatlere. After being conferred with military honours, the two presidential couples had a brief meeting, followed by plenary talks between the delegations of the Republic of Slovenia and the Republic of Latvia, led by their respective presidents. |
 The presidents discussed, in particular, the state of relations between the two countries, which they assessed as being very positive. President Zatlers highlighted the similarities between the two countries in terms of size, population, and their locations on the coast as trade hubs. Slovenian president Türk emphasised the fact that Latvia and Slovenia share a similar geographical position, both lying at a confluence of important European regions. Therefore, he said, Slovenia and Latvia should strive to enhance mutual understanding and assistance.
President Türk also iterated that Slovenia has experienced profound, emotive changes and political transformation in Europe, which began two decades ago here, in the Baltic States. He added that these events have been a constant source of inspiration for the changes that have happened in Slovenia since. Twenty years after these events, the importance of nurturing communication and cooperation in addressing future issues is now far better understood. |
 The two presidents also devoted significant attention to enhancing economic cooperation, with President Zatlers stressing that the recession has had no major impact on trade volumes between Latvia and Slovenia. He then stated that there is still ample scope for fostering further cooperation in the future. President Türk expressed the anticipation that economic cooperation between Latvia and Slovenia would continue to improve. He indicated that the most promising areas for collaboration would be the fields of logistics, transport and information technologies, where both countries have great potential. President Zatlers stressed that Latvia and Slovenia both still have much work to do together, and that, in a time when both countries are moving out of recession, cooperation is of utmost importance. He also expressed his hope that Slovenia would shortly open its embassy in the Latvian capital, Riga. |
 The two presidents shared their experiences of their respective country's implementation of exit strategy measures relating to the economic and financial crisis. Dr Türk congratulated the Latvian president for successfully tackling the crisis and explained that Slovenia was already through the worst period, but that current economic growth was still quite modest. He continued by saying that the common European currency has served to help strengthen the stability and security of the financial system in this time of crisis. President Türk also expanded upon Slovenia's experience of holding the EU presidency, which was held in the first semester of 2008. |
 The Presidents also discussed issues concerning the future of the European Union. They agreed that cooperation with EU neighbouring countries within the Eastern Partnership Initiative would contribute decisively to the future political and economic development of the European Union. The two presidents then touched upon cooperation between the two countries from a NATO perspective and discussed NATO's new Strategic Concept which, according to president Türk, should enhance the synergy of processes between NATO and the European Union. Dr Türk also expressed his support for the accession of Turkey into the European Union, as this would strengthen the EU’s strategic and political role. |
 After the talks, Presidents Zatlers and Türk laid flowers at the Freedom Monument at the Boulevard of Freedom in Riga. |
 Dr Türk met also with the Prime Minister of the Republic of Latvia, Valdis Dombrovskis, with whom he discussed relations between the two countries and current issues in an EU context.
President Türk was accompanied by a 20-strong delegation of representatives from the business community, organised by the Public Agency of the Republic of Slovenia for Entrepreneurship and Foreign Investments (JAPTI). Later in the visit, Presidents Türk and Zatlers participated in the Latvia-Slovenia Business Forum and addressed business people from both countries. |
 President Zatlers highlighted the fact that, on the margins of the forum, 60 meetings would take place between Latvian and Slovenian businessmen operating in a wide range of economic sectors, with the purpose of establishing business contacts with a view to further economic cooperation. In his address, President Türk spoke about the most promising areas for cooperation where, besides logistics, transport and information technologies, tourism is also a sector with an encouraging outlook. |