Latvian prime minister due in Seoul

By Lee Chi-dong
SEOUL, Jan. 15 (Yonhap) -- Latvian Prime Minister Ivars Godmanis will visit South
Korea this weekend to seek closer ties between the two nations, Seoul's foreign
ministry said Thursday.
Godmanis will arrive in Seoul on Sunday and hold talks with his South Korean
counterpart Han Seung-soo the next day on ways to boost economic cooperation
especially in the fields of logistics and timber trade, the ministry said in a
statement.
On Tuesday, he will pay a courtesy call on President Lee Myung-bak, it said.
"The two sides will exchange views on the Korean Peninsula and the European and
Baltic security conditions," ministry spokesman Moon Tae-young said. "Also to be
discussed are the global financial crisis, climate change, and Afghan
reconstruction."
Godmanis' four-day trip will mark the highest-level visit to South Korea by a
Latvian official since the two countries established diplomatic relations in
1991.
Latvia with a population of 2.3 million has served as an advance base for South
Korean companies seeking to explore business opportunities in the Baltic area.
lcd@yna.co.kr
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