Latvia to set up workgroup to coordinate China-CEE cooperation events in 2016

The Latvian government on Tuesday decided to form a workgroup tasked with coordinating events that will be organized next year in the 16+1 or China and Central-Eastern European (CEE) cooperation format.

Prime Minister Laimdota Straujuma said at the cabinet meeting that she was glad Latvia has been given the opportunity to coordinate the 16+1 events and that neighbor countries are jealous because these events will be taking place in Latvia and not in their country.

The Latvian Foreign Ministry said in a report to the government that realizing the significant potential of this cooperation, Latvia had been actively promoting regional cooperation and closer ties with China already before the 16+1 format was formally created in 2012.

"During the last few years, we have been putting a special emphasis on stepping up cooperation in transport and logistics in the 16+1 format, lobbying at the same time Latvia's ability to undertake the coordination of these areas in the 16+1 framework. Along with the leadership in the sphere of transport and logistics we have been consistently asserting to our 16+1 partners our readiness to provide our contribution and assume duties to ensure the 16+1 cooperation format's further development," the Foreign Ministry said in the report.

Latvia's active and responsible work has been highly appreciated, and at the 2015 China-CEE Summit in Suzhou, China, partners charged Latvia with coordinating cooperation in logistics. During the Suzhou summit Latvia was also tasked with organizing the key 16+1 events planned for 2016, including prime minister's summit and transport ministers' meeting, the Latvian Foreign Ministry said.

This role enables Latvia to raise its international profile, as well as to expand economic ties and cooperation with China in areas like transport, logistics, tourism, culture, education and science.

The Foreign Ministry also noted that arranging the above events, especially the prime ministers' summit and business forum, will be a time and resources consuming task which is why work on it has to be started without a delay.

The Foreign Ministry expressed readiness to manage the workgroup under the leadership of the ministry's state secretary.

The workgroup will be tasked with coordinating and supervising preparations for the 16+1 events, including by coordinating workgroups on specific areas like transport, business, culture, protocol, logistics, etc., as well as to coordinate the medium-term promotion of Latvia's interests in the 16+1 format.

Latvia also plans to create a transport network in China, Kazakhstan and Belarus and to set up the 16+1 format's secretariat for transport and logistics.

The China-CEE cooperation format provides promoting cooperation between China and 16 Central and Eastern European states: the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Poland, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania, as well as Bosnia and Herzegovina. Endit