Kremlin says Latvian president's visit symbolic.

MOSCOW, December 19 (Itar-Tass) -- The Kremlin has described the
oncoming Russian visit by Latvian President Valdis Zatlers as symbolic and
said it hoped the visit will help improve bilateral cooperation.
"This is a symbolic visit, as the Latvian president has not visited
Russia for years due to bilateral disagreements," Russian president's aide
Sergei Prikhodko told Itar-Tass. "In the previous years, we saw more
rhetoric and emotions than practical proposals of advancement [in the
bilateral relations]. Now the Latvian administrative is ready to discuss
cooperation in the practical spirit."
"Russia is adherent to normalization of relations with all former
Soviet republics, among them Latvia," Prikhodko said. He admitted that
Moscow and Riga "differ in their interpretation of certain historical
events; there are also some nuances in views about European security
prospects, as Latvia is a NATO member. At the same time, there is an
inclination to work on current affairs together with Latvian authorities,"
he said.
The upcoming visit will be important, Prikhodko said. In his words,
the sides will focus on "border cooperation, cargo transit, relations with
Latvia as a EU member country, cultural and humanitarian cooperation." "We
expect the visit to boost projects, which have been slow to develop, and
to deepen bilateral cooperation," he said.

.RF, Latvian presidents to talk broader trade and economic cooperation.

MOSCOW, December 19 (Itar-Tass) -- Latvian President Valdis Zatlers
arrives in Moscow for an official visit at the invitation of RF President
Dmitry Medvedev. Zalters will stay in Russia from December 19 through 22,
the Kremlin press service said.
According to the press service, the visit program includes talks at
the level of the heads of state, as well as Zatlers' meetings with Russian
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, Patriarch of Moscow and All-Russia Kirill,
Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin. The Latvian delegation will also visit St.
Petersburg.
Priority attention during the summit talks will be given to the state
of and prospects for Russian-Latvian cooperation in various fields,
exchange of views on the problems of securing the rights of
Russian-speaking population in Latvia.
One of the key issues on the bilateral agenda - is the expansion of
trade and economic cooperation. After some decline in mutual trade, caused
by the global financial crisis, positive dynamics in this sphere has again
been observed. Over the first nine months of this year, bilateral trade
exceeded 4.9 billion U.S. dollars, or a 46 percent increase over the same
period last year. More than 2,000 enterprises with Russian capital
successfully operate in Latvia.
Russian investments (106 million U.S. dollars) go primarily to the
energy sector, transport, finance and real estate. Latvian investors opt
for industry, transport, trade and real estate.
Russia is Latvia's key partner in the area of transit. Some 40 million
tons of Russian freight is handled in Latvian seaports. Russian coal
accounts for more than a third of the overall volume of freight transit.
Latvia's natural gas needs are almost entirely satisfied by Russia.
The volume of Russian natural gas supplies to Latvia in 2009 amounted to
1.143 billion cubic meters.
Russia covers more than ten percent of Latvia's electricity demand. In
2010, electricity supplies are expected to reach 0.7 billion kilowatt
hours.
The two countries are cooperating in the area of machine-building.
Russia's Secerstal holding company owns 50.01 percent stake in the Riga
carriage building plant. The Vladimir tractor plant is engaged in presale
preparation of tractors at the Riga-based Ferrus company. Rosvagonmash
owns 22 percent of shares in the Riga electrical machine-building plant,
which makes repairs of Moscow's Tatra-type trams. The plant also supplies
its low-floor trams to Moscow.
Moscow is actively participating in the construction of a car assembly
facility in the Latvian town of Jelgava. A total of 14 million euros have
been invested in the project as of now, and the total volume of Russian
investments is expected to reach 30 million euros. A wood processing plant
worth 21 million U.S. dollars has been commissioned in Russia's Pskov
region with the participation of the Latvian company Pata AB. Another
Latvian company, Lido, looks at opening public catering facilities in St.
Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, and in the Moscow region.
With Latvia's accession to the Schengen zone, cooperation in the
sphere of tourism has expanded. Over the first nine months of this year,
the flow of Russian tourists to Latvia has increased by 53 percent,
compared to the same period last year.
The talks are expected to yield intergovernmental agreements on
environmental protection, on cooperation in combating crime, especially
its organised forms, on the simplification of mutual travel of residents
of border areas; on cooperation in tourism; on cooperation in preventing
of and coping with emergencies.
-0-ras


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