The ambassador visited Valmiera and Strenči

In Valmiera, the deputy chairman of the Valmiera Municipality Council for Education, Culture and sports Janis Olmanis and the head of the Strenči Association Janis Petersons welcomed the ambassador. She listened to the presentation on both municipalities given by Eva Monika Švarca. During the conversation, the ambassador stressed that the Czech Republic and Latvia are very like-minded partners in the EU and mutually committed allies in NATO. There are no unresolved disputes or controversial issues between the two countries, there is excellent cooperation in all areas, including culture, trade and also defense. The Ambassador also pointed out that since 2022 both countries have been included in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List with a unique skill – rafting – and she expressed her pleasure at the opportunity to visit the Strenči Association, which is the centre of this skill in Latvia.

Oksana Kiriliuk, executive director of the Association of Small Towns of Ukraine, who currently works in the municipality of Valmiera, also welcomed the ambassador. Ambassador Hynková stressed Czech support for Ukraine.

The ambassador also got acquainted with the collections of the Valmiera Museum and visited the temporary headquarters of the Valmiera Theatre, the future Contemporary Art Space "Kurtuve".

In Strenči, the ambassador, accompanied by Mr. Petersons, visited open-air stage and got acquainted with the project "Flying Rafts" developed by student team called "TreeHouse Place" from Riga Technical University. Having the idea of expanding cooperation in education and health care, the ambassador visited Strenči elementary school and also Psychoneurological hospital.

At the end of the visit, the ambassador highly appraised the innovative and creative thinking in Valmiera region, appreciated the development of the region and thanked for the excellent reception.