Latvian President Guntis Ulmanis said on Friday that his country and Japan can expand cooperative relations in various sectors, including economics and technology.
"Latvia wishes to become a good partnership country for Japan by cooperating with it in the fields of economics, science, and environmental protection," Ulmanis told a press conference at the Japan National Press Club.
He also said the two countries have potential to expand cooperation in the information technology and high-tech sectors.
Ulmanis also said that "Latvia continues to aspire to become a member of NATO, which today is the only effectively functioning security organization in Europe."
He said that whether to deploy nuclear weapons is not an issue for discussion between Latvia and NATO. But he said he personally hopes very much that nuclear weapons will never be deployed in Latvia.