Under the frame of his visit to the Republic of Latvia, the First Deputy Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture George Khanishvili and the Minister of Agriculture of Latvia, Kaspars Gerhards signed a Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) in the field of agriculture.

During the meeting, the parties discussed issues related to the deepening cooperation between Georgia and Latvia in the agricultural field. The importance of participation of Georgia in the international exhibition RIGA FOOD-2022 was emphasized by George Khanishvili, who also noted, that similar exhibitions boost promotion of Georgian products on the international markets.

It should be mentioned, that international exhibition RIGA FOOD-2022 was held in the Republic of Latvia, Riga on September 8-10.

“Active cooperation in the agricultural field, which embraces various areas, significantly supports Georgia’s efforts towards Euro-Atlantic integration and fulfillment of commitments taken under the EU-Georgia Association Agreement. I believe that the Ministry of Agriculture of Latvia will provide strong support to the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia in taking positive steps towards EU membership in the Association Agreement process”, - said George Khanishvili.

During the meeting, he spoke about the export / import potential related issues and emphasized the importance of the positive trend recorded in 2021 and the growth rate of exports in the current year. He also noted that Georgia and Latvia have more opportunities for trade relations.

At the end of the meeting, Khanishvili and Gerhards signed a Memorandum of Cooperation between the Ministries in the agricultural field. The Memorandum will support in enhancing, developing and expanding trade relations between Georgia and the Republic of Latvia in the agricultural and food production fields.

The respective agreement will ensure the introduction and use of modern technologies for producing / processing of agricultural and food products, also sharing experience on the convergence with EU regulations and standards. Mr. Kaspars Gerhards noted that the Memorandum will provide new cooperation opportunities to Agencies in the food security and agricultural development fields.