Unofficial translation
On 27 March, Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkēvičs convened the regular meeting of the Foreign Economic Policy Coordination Council, the main agenda point of which was the current situation in Ukraine and the Ukraine-Russia conflict.
This was already the second session of the Council when Foreign Minister Rinkēvičs met with representatives from business organisations to discuss the potential impact of the Ukraine-Russia conflict on Latvia's economy. The Council agreed that the Foreign Ministry would also in future ensure a regular dialogue on the situation in Ukraine and on possible development scenarios, while the Ministry is kept updated on the issues of importance for the business community.
The Council's agenda included a number of important topics. The Statute of the Council for policy coordination regarding the image of Latvia was supported unanimously and will be presented for consideration to the Cabinet of Ministers in the near future. Thus a significant step has been taken towards building an external image of Latvia, the coordination of which has been assumed by the Latvian Institute.
The Council members also got acquainted with the draft calendar of Latvia's Presidency of the Council of the European Union, which includes the organisation of more than 200 events in Latvia in the first half of 2015. The provisional calendar of the Presidency events is to be submitted to the Cabinet of Ministers in mid-April.
The participants also discussed Latvian officials' upcoming high level visits of economic character. A more detailed overview of the visits planned for 2014, in which Latvian businesses can apply for participation, is accessible here.