Crisis, Economics, EU – Baltic States, Latvia

Tarja Halonen and Valdis Zatlers. Riga, 7.06.2010.

Halonen believes that the worst is behind Latvia. The reputation of Latvia has not been tarnished as Latvia has been acting very responsibly, she said, adding though that Latvia will have to continue work along the same path, writes LETA.

Zatlers said in turn, "In a few years, Latvia could become a success story of how to run a country in hard and critical conditions".

The mood was cheerful at the presidential press conference after their meeting. Halonen even said that she had reminded her husband before arriving in Latvia that this would be an official visit, and therefore they would have to behave themselves more officially than usual.

Both presidents said that the relations between Latvia and Finland were excellent, and that both the Finns and the Latvians were members of the Baltic Sea family of nations.

At the press conference, Finnish journalists asked Zatlers to comment on the possibility of the introduction of progressive tax in Latvia, and what the crisis-hit Greece could learn from Latvia. Zatlers said that he supported progressive tax on property, to which Halonen remarked that Latvia might be interested in finding out more about the tax system in Scandinavia.

As for Greece, Zatlers praised the discipline of the Latvian government in running the country in times of a crisis. Halonen stressed that Greece should have provided the European Union with precise data on its economy, agreeing though that the Greeks indeed required aid.

As reported, Halonen and her spouse, Pentti Arajarvi, arrived on a one-and-a-half day visit to Latvia this morning.

Visiting President Tarja Halonen was bestowed the Cross of Recognition (I Class) in a ceremony too.

Halonen's husband, Pentti Arajarvi was also bestowed the award, according to a statement printed in the government's official newspaper "Latvijas Vestnesis".

On the other hand, Latvian President Valdis Zalters and First Lady Lilita Zatlere will receive Finland's highest award – Order of the White Rose, as the president's press secretary Ilze Rassa told LETA.