The Vice President today made it clear that the recent measures taken by the Indian Government in regard to the status of Jammu and Kashmir are purely internal administrative matters. “India would not allow any outside interference in its internal affairs”, he said.

On the fourth day of his tri-nation tour to Baltic nations on Tuesday (August 20, 2019), the Vice President held wide ranging discussions with the President and Prime Minister of the Republic of Latvia, Mr. Egils Levits and Mr. Krišjānis Kariņš respectively in Riga, the capital of Latvia.

Addressing media along with the President of Latvia, Shri. Naidu said that India always believed in peaceful co-existence with all nations, including its neighbours and expressed concern over the menace of terrorism. He said that all countries must come together to ensure universal peace and progress.

Shri Naidu said that both the dignitaries have agreed to have very close cooperation on the international stage and stand together in the global fight against terrorism and piracy.

He also sought the support of Latvia to combat climate change challenges through the International Solar Alliance.

During his talks with the Prime Minister,Shri. Naidu expressed gratitude to Latvia for publicly supporting India’s claim for permanent membership at United Nation’s Security Council (UNSC). He said that the UNSC should reflect the aspirations of the world community and pointed out that India represented one-sixth of the global population.

The Vice President said that there is a lot of scope for growth in the bilateral trade between India and Latvia which is currently below its potential.He invited Latvian companies to explore opportunities for investment and collaboration in pharmaceuticals, healthcare, telecommunications, IT and software development, heavy engineering and biotechnology.

He also held a meeting with the Acting Speaker of the Parliament of Latvia, Ms. Inese Lībiņa-Egnere and visited the plenary session hall of the Latvian Parliament (Saeima).

During the talks with the Acting Speaker, the two leaders discussed the need to increase parliamentary exchanges between the two nations and a proposal to establish a joint parliamentary friendship group. Observing that the world has become a global village, the Vice President said that there should be greater exchange of information and adoption of the global best practices to enhance the efficiency of the parliamentary systems.

The Vice President later addressed the first ever India-Latvia Business Forum and called for taking the bilateral trade and economic cooperation to new heights. MoUs were also signed between ASSOCHAM, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the Latvian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) to further boost economic partnership between the two countries.

Earlier in the day, Shri Naidu paid homage to the heroes of Latvia’s struggle for independence by laying a wreath upon the Freedom Monument in Riga.

He also visited the National History Museum of Latvia in Riga today. He said that the museum wonderfully depicted the struggle of the Latvian people for freedom and added that visiting the museum was an inspiring experience.

The Vice President also unveiled the bust of the Father of the nation, Mahatma Gandhi at the National Library of Latvia. Shri. Naidu expressed hope that the bust of Mahatma Gandhi would be an inspiration to the visitors of the National Library in Riga and said that Gandhi ji’s message of non-violence and peaceful co-existence was universal, eternal and highly relevant for today’s conflict prone world.

He also presented 51 books to the national library called ‘Bharat ek Parichay’ which reflect the heritage and traditions of India.

Earlier the Vice President and the President of Latvia witnessed the signing of an MoU on cultural exchange for 2019-21.