Baltic States – CIS, Belarus, Forum, Good for Business, Latvia, Markets and Companies, Transport

The commission's Co-Chairman from Belarus, Anatoly Sivak, said that a wide range of subjects had been discussed at the meeting. “One of the key subjects was bilateral cooperation in transport, logistics and transit, and it was decided to expand this cooperation,” he said.

It was also agreed to hold a business forum in Riga in the first half of 2016 to discuss more active cooperation in transport and logistics, IT, stock exchange and lending.

In conclusion of the meeting, the protocol of the Intergovernmental Commission meeting, the protocol of the Latvia-Belarus Business Cooperation Council and an agreement between Latvian and Belarus telecommunications companies – Latvijas Valsts Radio un Televizijas Centrs (Latvian State Radio and Television Center) and Beltelekom" – about provision of international electronic services were signed.

The head of the Latvian delegation, Agriculture Minister Janis Duklavs (Greens/Farmers), said that the Intergovernmental Commission had been working hard during the two-day meeting to ensure bilateral cooperation and in most cases had agreed on mutually fruitful arrangements.

Latvia's foreign trade with Belarus in the first half of 2015 totaled EUR 276.6 million, up 0.1 percent from the same period in 2014. Latvia exported EUR 92.6 million worth of goods and services to Belarus in the first six months of this year at a 10 percent drop year-on-year but imports from Belarus grew 6.1 percent to EUR 184 million.