RP ENVOY PRESENTS CREDENTIALS TO LATVIAN PRESIDENT

04 January 2008 – Philippine non-resident Ambassador to Latvia Maria Zeneida Angara Collinson  presented her credentials to President Valdis Zatlers of the Republic of Latvia in Riga.

The Latvian President welcomed Ambassador Collinson’s agenda in  promoting enhanced cooperation through trade, tourism, and cultural exchange.

President  Zatlers  expressed optimism on increasing the number of tourist arrivals between the two countries.  Mr. Zatlers and Ms. Collinson agreed that exchanges of visitors would go a long way in building mutual awareness and appreciation among the peoples of Latvia and the Philippines.

In a similar vein, Ambassador Collinson recommended that both sides re-activate negotiations on the Philippines-Latvia Agreement on Cultural and Educational Cooperation. The Agreement would pave the way for reciprocal visits of students, lecturers, professors, and scientists.

At the sidelines of her presentation of credentials, Ambassador Collinson networked with other government and private sector officials.

In her meeting with Latvian Foreign Affairs State Secretary Normans Penke, Ambassador Collinson extended the Philippines’ invitation for Latvia to play an active role in the 2^nd Meeting of the Global Forum for Migration and Development to be held in Manila in October 2008. “It is clearly in both countries’ interests to be actively engaged in global discussions on an issue of paramopunt importance to both of our peoples,” she said.

Ambassador Collinson batted for a trade mission to the Philippines  by the Latvian Chamber of Commerce and Industry in late 2008. Chamber Director-General Andris Gutmanis agreed to seriously consider the proposal. He acknowledged the significant potentials for increased trade and investments between the two countries.

Ambassador Collinson personally commended the Latvian Parliament (Saeima) for recently establishing the Latvian Group of Parliamentarians for cooperation with the Parliament of the Philippines. Speaker Gundars Daudze expressed the Saeima’s readiness to jumpstart bilateral cooperation on health and migration. END.

/wingret

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