Baltic States – CIS, EU – Baltic States, Forum, Latvia, Logistics, Transport

The ministry’s state secretary Kaspars Ozolins this week is participating in the ASEM transport ministers meeting and business forum to represent interests of Latvia’s transport and logistics sector in development of the Eurasian transport corridors.

Ozolins at the 4th ASEM transport ministers meeting and business conference in Indonesia commended that the resolutions included in the declaration signed in Riga in 2015 to expand and develop Euroasian continental corridors in bilateral and multilateral formats are being implemented.

"Every meeting, talk, discussion, every signed agreement and joint project is a significant step towards better connectivity, renewing our motivation not to stop and to continue the started work," said Ozolins.

At the round table of the ministers, Ozolins underscored Latvia’s advantage as the EU external border with Russia and Belarus, serving as the bridge between the West and the East, as well as the North and the South. "Latvia on these crossroads may offer well-developed transport infrastructure – unfreezing ports, a broad network of roads and railway, modern logistics and distribution centers, excellent air transport connections that are interesting for Asia, Russia and CIS countries, the Western Europe and the Black Sea countries," he said.

Ozolins also informed the ASEM delegations on Latvia’s activities in cooperation with China and 16 Central ad Eastern European countries in the 16+1 format. This cooperation has brought also practical results, increasing global connectivity in the railway sector.

The ministry’s representative underscored Latvia’s readiness to offer cooperation opportunities to all interested partners, preparing efficient transit routes. He also praised results of the Riga International Airport and national airline airBaltic, providing flights to 70 destinations during the winter season, and about 90 destinations during summer.