In Riga yesterday the Secretary General Jagland met with President Andris Bērziņš, Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis, Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkēvičs and the Latvian Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly.

Discussions covered Council of Europe reform, reform of the European Court of Human Rights, the follow-up to the Brighton conference, the rights of minorities and regional issues including Georgia.

Secretary General Jagland praised the active and constructive role of Latvia in the Council of Europe, underlined also by the work of Nils Muižnieks, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights.

The Latvian government confirmed its support to the Secretary General's reforms and emphasised the need to concentrate resources on priority areas and countries generating the highest number of cases at the European Court of Human Rights.