RIGA, Sept 5 (LETA) - The western Latvian municipality of Kuldiga and the Japanese city Fuji will cooperate in education, culture and tourism, as well as business development, according to the Memorandum of Friendship signed this week between Kuldiga Municipality and Fuji City.

As the local government informed LETA, Kuldiga Municipal Mayor Inese Astasevska (For Kuldiga Municipality) and executive director Rimants Safonovs are in Japan on a working visit from September 2 to 9. The main purpose of the visit is to strengthen cooperation with the city of Fuji, as well as to learn about its experience in the fields of entrepreneurship, innovation, education and culture.

During the visit, the Memorandum of Friendship between the Kuldīga Municipality and the City of Fuji was signed at the Fuji City Hall. It provides for closer partnership in building a sustainable society, with particular emphasis on cooperation in innovation and education, culture and tourism, as well as business development. This includes exchanges of experience in municipal administration, networking between businesses and educational institutions, and strengthening cultural and person-to-person ties.

The delegation's agenda includes meetings with the Fuji Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Fuji City Board of Education, as well as visits to various companies and institutions.

The program of the visit also includes cultural and tourist activities, such as a visit to a Japanese tea plantation near Mount Fuji. The delegation will also participate in Expo 2025 in Osaka, where Latvia will present its vision of innovation, design, culture and sustainable development on a global scale at the Baltic Pavilion.

During the visit, meetings with the Kansai-Latvia Friendship Association and the Latvian Honorary Consuls in Osaka and Nagoya will be held, strengthening contacts with Japan-based potential cooperation partners. Finally, a visit to the Latvian Embassy in Tokyo will be arranged, where Ambassador Zigmars Zilgalvis will discuss the next steps of cooperation.