OREANDA-NEWS. October 01, 2012. While on a working visit to the United States, Latvian President Andris Berzins met bilaterally with the parliamentary speaker of the Republic Of Kyrgyzstan, Asylbek Sharipovich to talk about the partnership between the two countries and the further development of bilateral relations between them.
 
President Berzins said that Latvia is interested in expanding on interparliamentary co-operation and to share its experience in this regard. The country is also interested in expanding the legal foundations which exist between the two countries. The President added at the same time that the area of education is a realm in which there are very real opportunities for further co-operation between Latvia and Kyrgyzstan, because Kyrgyz students can receive an education in areas that are of a competitive nature. Mr Berzins told the speaker that Latvian universities are interested in attracting students for educational areas such as transport, banking and finances, technologies, medicine, aviation etc.
 
In discussing regional co-operation, President Berzins expressed the view that Kyrgyzstan has an important role to play in ensuring stability in Central Asia and Afghanistan, not least in terms of becoming involved in regional projects aimed at economic development. For that reason, the President said, Kyrgyzstan is welcome to take part in ongoing international discussions about security in Afghanistan, as well as the Northern Distribution Network and its development.
 
Speak Sharipovich, for his part, praised the fact that in 2011 the Latvian National Audit Office concluded an agreement with the Kyrgyz Audit Board, adding that between 2009 and 2011, the Latvian office provided consultations and support to its Kyrgyz colleagues as part of a World Bank financed project aimed at improving financial audit methodologies, training employees, and implementing pilot projects in the area of auditing.