RIGA, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- Rwandan President Paul Kagame arrived in Riga on Wednesday in what became the first official visit of a Rwandan leader to Latvia, the office of the Latvian president informed.
After a meeting with Kagame at Riga Castle, Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics told reporters they had extensive and good talks covering a broad range of topics, with an emphasis on the potential for economic exchange.
The Latvian president noted that Kagame's visit comes in a rather restless time and that the sides discussed Europe's regional security issues as well as conflicts in Africa, with the Latvian president praising Rwanda's participation in several peacekeeping missions.
"We also talked about bilateral cooperation. We already see that there is potential for economic cooperation," Rinkevics said. He pointed out that Latvian companies, especially those working in the IT sector, are already active in Rwanda, and both sides see an opportunity to expand this cooperation.
The Rwandan president said at the press conference that during the meeting with his Latvian counterpart and the delegations, it was repeatedly underlined that Rwanda and Latvia have close and friendly relations.
He said that one of the main objectives of the visit was to discuss new opportunities for mutual cooperation that would benefit the people of both countries. The Rwandan leader underlined that there is a rapidly growing interest in his country for cooperation opportunities, for example in the field of sustainable agriculture or farming. ■
