RIGA, May 2 (Xinhua) -- Latvian Prime Minister Maris Kucinskis met with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Minister of Economy, Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansoori, in Riga on Wednesday to discuss economic ties between the two countries, a Latvian governmental spokesperson said.
"We have chosen the concept of data-driven nation for our development, and it means that we need many highly-skilled professionals. I believe that the UAE and Riga Technical University might develop good cooperation in this area in the future," Kucinskis told the UAE minister.
With their talks focusing mainly on economic exchange, Kucinskis said Latvian entrepreneurs, particularly food producers and wood-processing companies, would be interested in selling their products in the UAE.
Other topics discussed during the meeting included investment opportunities in IT, as well as Rail Baltica railway project and the development of its infrastructure.
Energy, trade, tourism, ICT, transport and logistics were also mentioned as perspective areas for Latvia-UAE cooperation.
Commenting on an upcoming visit of a business delegation from Dubai to Riga, Kucinskis voiced confidence that such contacts will significantly help promote contacts between Latvian and Arab businesspeople.
In 2017, trade turnover between Latvia and the UAE expanded by more than 30 percent, the Latvian prime minister's spokesman Andrejs Vaivars informed.
