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Today, during his official visit to Croatia, Aigars Kalvītis, Prime Minister of the Republic of Latvia, met the top officials of Croatia. In the morning, in the capital Zagreb, an official welcoming ceremony for Aigars Kalvītis and the Latvian delegation took place, in which Ivo Sanader, Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia, participated; after that both Prime Ministers had bilateral talks. During the meeting, Aigars Kalvītis and Ivo Sanader discussed several important issues: enlargement of the European Union (EU), situation in the region, and NATO enlargement. Both sides noted that the visit of the Latvian Prime Minister to Croatia is a very successful continuation of the previous exchange of visits at presidential level. The Prime Ministers discussed possibilities for opening embassies in Rīga and Zagreb, but at the moment the first step is the opening of the Honorary Consulate of Latvia in Zagreb. Aigars Kalvītis will open it this afternoon. During the discussions, attention was paid to bilateral economic relations, including the order of Latvijas kuģniecība for the building of ten tankers in Croatian shipbuilding factory, which is a significant deal between both countries. Aigars Kalvītis and Ivo Sanader discussed opportunities for closer cooperation between the Baltic States and the Adriatic Charter countries in the format of 3+3 countries. The Prime Minister of Latvia invited the Prime Minister of Croatia to visit Latvia and received confirmation that Ivo Sanader will look for possibilities to pay a visit to Latvia already this year to strengthen the bilateral relations of both countries. During the meeting, both Prime Ministers signed a bilateral agreement on cooperation in the field of tourism, which is a legal instrument for further development of tourism between Latvia and Croatia. Continuing his visit, the Prime Minister today had a meeting with Stjepan Mesic, President of the Republic of Croatia, during which mainly issues concerning regional cooperation and stability in the region were discussed. Aigars Kalvītis stressed that the region needs a clear perspective and stability. Stjepan Mesic said that at the moment Croatia can be considered a safety belt of the region. The President was interested in Latvian investments in Croatia in the tourism sector and industry. Continuing his official visit to Croatia, Aigars Kalvītis met Vladimir Šeks, President of the Parliament of the Republic of Croatia, and discussed previous cooperation at parliamentary level. The Prime Minister noted that in the future it will be necessary to develop even closer cooperation between parliaments of both countries, which is particularly important in the context of Croatias EU accession negotiations. During the visit, Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader hosted a festive lunch in honour of Aigars Kalvītis and the Latvian delegation. In the afternoon, the Prime Minister together with the delegation of Latvian businessmen will meet Branko Vukelić, Minster for Economy, Labour and Entrepreneurship of the Republic of Croatia, in order to discuss issues of bilateral economic cooperation and opportunities for investments in various sectors of the economy of Croatia. Tonight, in Zagreb, Aigars Kalvītis will officially open the Honorary Consulate of Latvia. During the official visit, Aigars Kalvītis will also visit several regions of Croatia Istria and Dalmatia. Prime Minister Aigars Kalvītis will return to Latvia on Monday, July 25, in the afternoon.
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