DEPUTY PM, PARLIAMENTARY SPEAKER RECEIVE LATVIAN FOREIGN MINISTER

ZAGREB, Feb 22 (Hina) - Deputy Prime Minister Goran Granic and parliamentary speaker Zlatko Tomcic on Thursday held talks with Latvia's Foreign Minister Indulis Berzinus, who is on a two-day visit to Croatia. Granic and Berzinus concluded Croatia and Latvia had good and friendly relations, as well as identical goals, to complete the transition period and join the European Union, the government's Public and Media Relations Office said in a statement. Berzinus briefed Granic on Latvia's negotiations with the EU and NATO, while Granic outlined the preparations the Croatian government was making to join the EU. Both officials said the two countries' ministries should cooperate more closely in exchanging experience in this respect. The talks also tackled refugee returns, reconstruction, cooperation with UN's war crimes tribunal in The Hague, and the situation in the region. During talks with parliamentary speaker Tomcic, the Latvian foreign minister said the ratification of an international agreement on the avoidance of double taxation could be the first step in improving Croatian-Latvian economic cooperation. Berzinus also held talks with the president of the House of Counties, Katica Ivanisevic. (hina) ha