Polish president begins state visit to Latvia

First Lady Anna Komorowska (L), President Bronislaw Komorowski (2L), President Andris Berzins (2R) and First Lady Dace Seisuma at the so-called House of the Blackheads in Riga: photo - PAP/Leszek Szymanski

Komorowski's Latvian counterpart President Andris Berzins invited the couple to Riga, and the trip marks the first official visit of a Polish president to the country since 2005.

“President Komorowski's visit will provide an opportunity to underline the weight which Poland attaches to cooperation with Latvia, our important ally and partner,” commented Jaromir Sokolowski, Minister in the President's Office, in an interview with the Polish Press Agency (PAP).

Today, both presidents will take part in a Polish-Latvian economic forum currently being hosted in Riga. Among the chief themes of the forum are cooperation in energy and transport matters.

Meanwhile, special talks held with Latvian politicians will cover the Eastern Partnership, the Polish-led project that aims at strengthening political and economic relations between the EU and six former Soviet Republics (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine).

Komorowski will also lay flowers at the Freedom Monument in Riga, and he will visit the Museum of the Occupation of Latvia, which encompasses both the Second World War and the ensuing communist era.

On Saturday, the president will meet representatives of Latvia's Polish community, and he will also visit the University of Latvia. (nh)