Latvia, Lithuania pledge to strengthen cooperation

Visiting Latvian President Raimonds Vejonis and Lithuanian counterpart Dalia Grybauskaite on Monday pledged to strengthen bilateral cooperation.

This is Vejonis' first visit here after his inauguration as Latvia president last week.

"Lithuania and Latvia are linked by strong political, economic and cultural ties. Today we are facing the same challenges posed to our national security. We are stronger when we act together. Therefore, we will continue close cooperation in the areas of security and defense, economy and energy," Grybauskaite was quoted as saying in a statement from her office.

"Our bilateral agenda is intense as Latvia is one of the biggest trade partners. So, it is really important that our bilateral relationship develops as successfully as they do now not only in military but also in the economy. We have a lot of common businesses and projects in energy, transportation, trade and other fields," Grybauskaite told journalists after her meeting with Vejonis.

As members of NATO, Lithuania and Latvia expect to jointly develop their military capabilities, the presidents said.

The two countries also support a stronger role of NATO allies in the region, said the statement from Lithuanian president's office.

"We discussed not only the cooperation of military forces, but also how to improve our collective military trainings," Vejonis told journalists.

Grybauskaite said she discussed joint acquisition of weaponry, especially in the area of air defense.

The two presidents spoke about the synchronization of Baltic electricity grids with Europe.

The Lithuanian president said this will "help incorporate transparent European standards and rules for managing the power system, restrict Russia's influence in the electricity sector in our region, and reduce the price of electricity to consumers." Endit