From 14 to 16 April, Viesturs Kleinbergs, the Chairman of Riga City Council, will pay a working visit to Hamburg, Luebeck and Rostock to participate in the German-Latvian Port Days, high-level business events and discuss cooperation between the cities together with Atis Švinka, the Minister of Transport, and business representatives.
During his visit, the Mayor of Riga will participate in the Maritime Digital Innovation Demo, where the importance of innovation in port development and digital transformation will be showcased together with Latvian companies. The event will serve as a practical follow-up to the Memorandum of Understanding signed in summer 2025 between German and Latvian partners on cooperation in the field of digital innovation in marine technologies.
In Hamburg, the participants will also meet with the management of q.beyond AG, a German IT and digitalisation company, to discuss the company's activities in Riga and future development plans. The Mayor of Riga will also visit Hamburg Marketing GmbH to learn about Hamburg's experience in marketing, tourism and investment attraction.
The visit will be followed by a bilateral meeting with Jan Lindenau, the Mayor of Luebeck. The meeting will discuss the experience of the two Hanseatic cities in preserving UNESCO World Heritage, balancing this with modern urban development, as well as Luebeck's experience in developing ferry services and other cooperation issues. At the end of the day, the Mayor of Riga will participate in the German-Latvian Port Days, which are held alternately in the two countries every year.
At the end of the visit, the Mayor of Riga will attend and open the Baltic Sea Business Days in Rostock and meet with Eva-Maria Kröger, the Mayor of Rostock, to celebrate the 65th anniversary of cooperation between Riga and Rostock and to discuss future cooperation opportunities in the fields of digitisation, culture, urban security and port development. A meeting with the management of the cruise company AIDA Cruises is also planned to discuss the company's development plans and Riga's potential as a cruise port, as well as to outline future directions for cooperation.
The visit demonstrates Riga's active involvement in international cooperation and its focused efforts to strengthen the city's competitiveness by developing its port, innovation and investment attraction potential.
Information was prepared by Mārtiņš Vilemsons, Project Coordinator at External Communication Division of Riga City Council Communication Department, e-mail: martins.vilemsons@riga.lv.