The United States is Latvia’s strategic partner, and the two countries enjoy excellent cooperation across many areas, Saeima Speaker Daiga Mieriņa emphasized on Friday, the 20th of February, while welcoming US Ambassador to Latvia Melissa Argyros to parliament. The Ambassador was paying a courtesy visit, according to the Saeima Press Service.
The Speaker highlighted the close cooperation between the Latvian parliament and the US Congress, pointing to the regular exchange of bilateral visits as well as the Saeima’s special representative for work in Washington. She also highly appreciated the strong support for the Baltic states in Congress and expressed gratitude for the United States’ contribution to Latvia’s defense.
Mieriņa underlined that this year Latvia has allocated nearly five percent of its gross domestic product to defense.
“All of Europe now understands that increasing defense spending is essential,
and this is largely thanks to the United States,” she said.
Ambassador Argyros noted that the Baltic states set a strong example for other countries through their investment in defense.
Discussing economic cooperation, Mieriņa emphasized the potential for Latvia–US collaboration in the military industry, including in drone testing. The Ambassador welcomed Latvia’s policy of easing tax conditions for US investors, which she said would help further strengthen economic ties between the two countries.
Read also: “A great honor to begin my work in Latvia” – US Ambassador pledges stronger security and economic ties