RIGA, March 20 (LETA) - During a meeting with representatives of Latvian local governments and the Latvian Association of Local and Regional Governments on Friday, President Edgars Rinkevics outlined three priorities that the government and local governments should address together.

Rinkevics believes that the first priority is strengthening national security and defense, preparing for threats both in the military and civil defense areas, as the president's advisor Martins Dregeris informed LETA.

The second priority is demography, closely linked to such issues as the school network and access to health care, as well as access to housing, said Rinkevics.

The third priority is economic development and the country's competitiveness, in which an important role is played by the approach to municipal financing, tax policy and other areas where municipalities and the government need to work together, the president emphasized.

During the meeting, Rinkevics and local governments' representatives also discussed current developments in municipalities, as well as changes in the local government financial equalization system, civil protection, entrepreneurship, school and hospital networks.