EU – Baltic States, Latvia, Legislation, Markets and Companies, Transport

Edgars Rinkevics and Sheikh Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansouri. Photo: flickr.com

In a conversation with the UAE Minister of Economy, Edgars Rinkevics welcomed the visa waiver agreement with the European Union (EU) and thanked the UAE for improved conditions with respect to visas already in advance of signing the agreement with the EU, which has made visits and trips for tourists to the UAE easier for the residents of Latvia.

We are happy about the intensive political dialogue between our countries. Latvia has kept its promise and opened an Embassy in Abu Dhabi and a Representative Office of the Investment and Development Agency of Latvia in Dubai. We hope that these very practical steps will create closer business links between our countries, Edgars Rinkevics said.

The Latvian Foreign Minister also confirmed Latvia’s interest in, and commitment to completing and signing agreements on economic cooperation between Latvia and the UAE as well as on mutual recognition of driver’s licences.

The Foreign Minister said that the UAE is an export market with a high potential; therefore, it is in Latvia’s interests to strengthen business contacts, including by attracting the Emirates’ entrepreneurs and investors to develop their businesses in Latvia, especially in the high-tech sector.

Latvia, in turn, has much to offer in the field of architecture, finance, tourism and health care, as we have highly skilled professionals in those sectors. At the same time, we also have high standards in food industry, Edgars Rinkevics emphasised.

At the meeting with Sheikha Lubna Bint Khalid Al Qasimi, the Minister of International Cooperation and Development, both officials concurred that given the fact that both the EU and the UAE have set North Africa and the countries in the Middle East as a priority, cooperation should be further developed. The fight against terrorism is another area in which the EU and UAE have established close cooperation.

The EU is very much interested in the UAE efforts of maintaining peace in its region and developing effective means of communication with society on radical extremism. I am happy about common understanding between the EU and the UAE which sees the rule of law as a priority, as it is impossible to ensure growth, peace and security without accountable institutions that the public can trust, Edgars Rinkevics stressed.

Education is the area of development in which I see a real potential for cooperation between our countries. Therefore, I invite the UAE, by supporting scholarships, to become a partner to the Riga Graduate School of Law programme and the European Studies Programme at the University of Latvia, which would raise awareness of the EU values. Support for Ukrainian students enrolled in Latvian universities is currently of vital importance, said Edgars Rinkevics during the meeting.

The Minister said that Latvia is ready to promote broader contacts also between other universities of both countries, for instance, Riga Stradiņš University, Riga Technical University and Abu Dhabi Men’s College.

At the end of the meeting, Foreign Minister Rinkevics invited Sheikha Lubna Bint Khalid Al Qasimi, the UAE Minister of International Cooperation and Development, to visit Latvia.

Additional information:

On 6 May 2015 in Brussels, the European Union (EU) and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) signed an agreement on the short-stay visa waiver. As of 22 March 2014, the citizens of the Republic of Latvia have been able to travel visa-free to the United Arab Emirates.

On 11 June 2013, a Convention between the Republic of Latvia and the United Arab Emirates entered into force on the avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income and capital.

The United Arab Emirates is the largest bilateral developmental aid donor in the world. In 2013, the UAE experienced the largest increase in the official development aid (ODA) in the world history – in 2013, the ODA was 5.4 billion euros, which is 475% more than in 2012. More than 90% of the UAE’s official development assistance is channelled into bilateral aid, for instance for economic infrastructure, education, health and human resource development. In 2013, the UAE established the Ministry of Development and International Cooperation to begin the strategic planning of development cooperation policy.