Merkel will meet with Prime Minister Laimdota Straujuma and President Andris Bērziņš, the State Chancellery’s communications department told national information agency LETA Monday.
This is however not an extraordinary visit by a leading European power, but a previously scheduled trip. Earlier Rīta Panorāma reported that their talks will center around security issues in the context of the conflict in eastern Ukraine. However their agenda will also cover dealing with Russia’s import embargo on a broad range of EU food products.
The head of Germany’s government will begin the day with a flower-laying ceremony at the Freedom Monument, followed by her meeting with Straujuma and later with the head-of-state. In the evening Merkel will take part in a discussion on economic cooperation between Germany and Latvia at the National Library building.
This will be Merkel’s third visit to Riga after having been here for the NATO summit of 2006 and a German-Latvian economic forum in 2010.
The German Chancellor’s office has said it will confirm the official visit in the near future.
