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Roundup: Rights of EU citizens residing in Britain in focus of Brexit minister's Riga visit

Xinhua, February 22, 2017 Adjust font size:

The status of Latvian and other European Union (EU) citizens currently residing in Britain was among the main topics in Tuesday's talks between Latvian officials and visiting British Secretary of State for Existing the EU, David Davis.

After his meeting with Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics, Davis told reporters that Britain had moral responsibility towards the Latvian citizens residing in Britain and the British citizens living in foreign countries.

Davis had arrived in Latvia just after his visit to Estonia. In Riga, he met with Latvian Prime Minister Maris Kucinskis and Foreign Minister Rinkevics.

After last summer's referendum in which most British voters supported their country's departure from the EU, British Prime Minister Theresa May has promised to submit the official application on the UK's exit from the bloc already in March. The Brexit minister is therefore touring the Baltic states to discuss the future of Britain's relations with the EU members.

In addition to economic and political cooperation, the status of the thousands of Latvians living and working in Britain is an especially important question, which Davis and Rinkevics have been discussing at their earlier meetings in Brussels and also in Riga on Tuesday.

"We are interested in the upcoming talks between Great Britain and the EU taking place as constructively and rationally as possible, without emotions," Rinkevics said, adding that Latvia would participate in these negotiations as one of the EU's 27 member states, although it also has its special interests, as Latvia wants the status of its citizens in Britain to remain unchanged after Brexit.

Davis noted that EU citizens' status in Britain and vice versa would be among the first issues to be tackled in the Brexit talks.

"We want to see the most civilized and responsible solution possible," Davis said.

The Brexit minister said Britain would be very careful about its immigration policy, being aware of the immigrants' considerable contribution to the British economy.

Latvian Prime Minister Maris Kucinskis said during his meeting with Davis that, notwithstanding Britain's forthcoming departure from the EU, Latvia wants to develop good bilateral ties with Britain also in the future and cooperate with Britain in various formats, including multilateral ones.

Latvia wants close cooperation among the Baltic states, Nordic countries and Britain to continue, including in the Northern Future Format, the Latvian governmental press service said.

Kucinskis emphasized that Latvia certainly does not want to make Brexit more complicated as Latvia's position on the process is pragmatic and rational.

Latvia is interested in trade with Britain, which is its seventh largest trade partner, to continue unimpeded. "We see an opportunity for our companies and organizations to use Brexit for creating new synergies," the Latvian prime minister said. Endit