Pincher Meets Latvian Premier

MP encourages Latvian government to do more business with Midlands

Tamworth’s Member of Parliament, Christopher Pincher, met with Latvian Prime Minister, Valdis Dombrovskis last Friday to encourage him to build stronger trade links with Midlands businesses.  Mr. Dombrovskis was in Great Britain to take part in the Nordic Baltic summit in London hosted by Prime Minister David Cameron.

At the Nordic conference Mr Cameron said of Britain and Latvia:
“We get enterprise. We embrace innovation. We understand the potential of green technologies for economic growth. So at a time when much of Europe is in desperate need of fundamental economic reform, it makes sense for us to come together for the benefit of all our economies: an ‘avant garde’ for jobs and growth.”

Before flying back to Riga at the end of the summit, Mr. Dombrovskis visited the award winning International Digital Lab at Warwick University, Coventry, to take part in a business fair hosted by Deb Leary, Tamworth’s award-winning businesswoman and Chairman of the Midlands World Trade Forum.  Also present were Britain’s ambassador to Latvia, Andrew Soper, and Tamworth’s Member of Parliament, Christopher Pincher.

Mr. Pincher, sitting next to Mr. Dombrovskis, took the opportunity to encourage Latvia to build closer partnerships with Midlands firms and offered his help in forging closer links.

Afterwards Mr Pincher said:
“The Midlands has a tremendous amount of engineering and manufacturing know-how.  We need to do all we can to promote that knowledge and skill onto the international scene to benefit local jobs.  We need to get the new Greater Birmingham Local Enterprise Partnership steaming at full speed, working with the Midlands World Trade Forum and the government to ensure we grab opportunities such as these before others grab them.”

Before the recession Latvia had one of the best growth records in the European Union.  It has previously been known for raw materials such as timber and low-end raw manufacturing but is keen to build its technical base and expand its green economy credentials.