New Estonian president calls for closer bilateral ties during first Latvia visit

Estonia's new President Kersti Kaljulaid who arrived in Latvia on one of her first foreign trips Friday, calling for closer ties between the two neighboring countries.

Talking to the press after her meeting with Latvian President Raimonds Vejonis, Kaljulaid said that she has been closely following developments in Latvia and spoke appreciatively of the Latvian enterprises doing business in Estonia.

Kaljulaid also urged enhanced ties between the two Baltic states, including economic cooperation.

Kaljulaid called Rail Baltica European-gauge railroad project an example of such Baltic cooperation, voicing hope for the project's smooth and fast implementation.

Kaljulaid also asked not to draw "unnecessary conclusions" from her decision to make her first visit as Estonian president to Finland, and not Latvia.

Maintaining contacts with neighbors is extremely important, and one should not draw "unnecessary conclusions" from this decision, the new Estonian leader said. "I cannot be in two places at once,"

Latvian President Raimonds Vejonis also described cooperation between Latvia and Estonia as good, comparing it to family relations.

"Problems occur in every family, but they are solved. It is important to keep this family together. Our cooperation is something similar. We can resolve all our disagreements," the Latvian president said.

"We do not have to be ashamed to say that it is necessary to learn from neighbors. We can learn a lot from Estonia, which has already adopted a number of things we are only planning to introduce," Vejonis said.

The Latvian president also noted at the news conference that Kaljulaid and he had similar education, and as trained biologists, they will be able to work together to make the Baltics the greenest region in the world. Endit