Latvia, on the Baltic sea, with a population of about 2.3 million people borders Estonia, Russia, Belarus, and Lithuania. Its geographical placing intersects trade routes between Western Europe and Russia. Inhabited land area is about 65,000 square kilo meters. Its comparative population measured in density could be compared to some European cities for instance Brussels, Rome or Vienna dispersed across an area larger than Belgium, Denmark, Switzerland, or The Netherlands.

Latvia is a member of the European Union, and also North Atlantic Treaty Organization, NATO.

Delegates from the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce (CCC) visited Latvia recently. Speaker House of Representatives, W.J.M. Lokubandara was also a guest of the government of Latvia, who visited that country this year, said Honorary Consul General, Republic of Latvia, Thomas F. Daetwyler, last week, at the National Day celebrations of the republic of Latvia.

There was considerable development in trade between Sri Lanka and Latvia which augured well for mutual interests in commercial interaction.

Chief guest was Deputy Minister of Finance and Investmet Promotion, Dr. Sarath Amunugama.

Daetwyler said this year marked the 20th anniversary of an unique peaceful demonstration, ‘The Baltic Way’. The event took place August 23rd 1989. More or less a million people joined hands in a 600 meter human chain across three Baltic States of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The event was dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact between Stalinist Soviet Union, and Nazi Germany.

The most common Foreign languages used were English, Russian, and German. Latvian is the official language.

Dr. Amunugama said both Sri Lanka and Latvia had deep cultural connections and mutual friendship grew over the past few years. Irrespective of the vicissitudes of history Latvia emerged an independent state. History also recorded its passage to democracy was now cemented through membership in the European Union.

Having said that Amunugama also requested Latvia’s intervention to champion the cause of the Goods and Services Generalized System of Preferences, commonly referred to as GSP+ with the European Union to thwart sustained opposition against Sri Lanka. He said this facility was important because Sri Lanka was now at cross roads to development, and such support would be intensely encouraging. More so that we were on the threshold to economic prosperity.

Such plusses were also significant now, more in sync with commercial interaction that could ensue because of closer business ties stemming from the CCC visit to Latvia.

Daetwyler said the message of the Baltic way was clear; if people and countries commit to a common goal and if they join efforts, most difficult challenges could be met. ’If we look at the world today we can see that never before has international cooperation been so important. Never before have we faced such a multitude of simultaneous critical challenges of global significance. Whichever name we use we must remember that these global issues require urgent and concerted action at global level.’

He said he was confident the whole global economic system will come out of the crisis stronger than before.