RIGA, Feb. 22 (Xinhua) -- Relations between Latvia and the Unites States are good and both sides are preparing for a summit between Baltic leaders and U.S President Donal Trump, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan said here on Thursday.
Sullivan is so far the highest-ranking official of the Trump administration to visit Riga.
During his visit, he met with Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics and President Raimonds Vejonis.
"Latvia and the U.S. have always been close strategic partners dealing with regional and global security issues," Vejonis said following his talks with Sullivan.
At a joint news conference that followed his meeting with Rinkevics, Sullivan announced that the summit of Baltic and U.S. leaders will take place on April 3 in Washington. "This summit affirms the good relations," Sullivan said.
Sullivan's visit came at a time when the Latvian banking sector is being rocked by a number of scandals, one of which has been caused by a report by the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) of the U.S. Department of the Treasury, which implicated Latvia's ABLV Bank in involvement in money laundering schemes and bribery.
Sullivan said the U.S. is ready to help Latvia deal with the flaws in Latvia's banking sector and combat corruption.
"We are closely working with our partners in the Latvian government to reform the banking sector and combat corruption," the U.S. diplomat said.
