RIGA, Jan 8 (LETA) - The state should take over the Latgale concert hall Gors in Rezekne, President Edgars Rinkevics said during a meeting with Culture Minister Agnese Lace (Progressives) at Riga Castle on Thursday.

As the president's spokesman Martins Dregeris told LETA, the officials discussed the future operation and management of the concert hall, developments and issues related to the project Liepaja - European Capital of Culture 2027, and matters concerning the public media content in minority languages.

During the conversation with the culture minister, the president reiterated that the concert hall Gors in Rezekne is not only a concert hall of regional significance in Latgale, but also an important center of Latvian and Latgalian identity at the national level.

In Rinkevics' opinion, the state should take over Gors and establish a management model that best ensures the preservation and development of Latvian and Latgalian identity. The president of Latvia called for taking into account the specific nature of the Latgale region and the country's eastern border area, as well as developments in the world.

The importance of the Latgale concert hall Gors is not only in the choice of repertoire or financial indicators. It should be seen in the context of national identity, national security and the country's long-term cultural policy, Rinkevics said.

The president plans to meet with the prime minister and the smart administration and regional development minister soon to discuss the measures that have to ensure the state's involvement in the management of Gors.

As reported, the culture minister met with Rezekne Mayor Aleksandrs Bartasevics (Together for Latvia/Latvia First) and municipal officials on Wednesday to discuss the situation with the operation and management of Gors. After the meeting, the minister concluded that municipal officials in Rezekne lack understanding of how cultural institutions operate. During a working visit to Rezekne on Wednesday, Lace expressed concern about the situation at Latgale concert hall Gors and the municipality's approach to cultural institutions' operations.

According to Lace, the municipality's representatives have no understanding of how cultural institutions function and of the fact that the quality of cultural events cannot be measured only by the number of attendees.

The state has so far provided substantial support for ensuring access to culture in Latgale, including by investing several million euros in construction of the Gors concert hall, allocating funding from the State Culture Capital Foundation and supporting the operations of the Latgale Music and Art School. Latgale is an important region of Latvia and there are no plans to reduce state support for culture in Latgale, said Lace.

During the meeting, Lace asked the municipality to present the results of an audit of the concert hall's functions, and said that the ministry's representatives should be involved in further discussions on management of Gors.

The minister pointed out that the Culture Ministry had repeatedly asked Rezekne City Council to provide information on the audit results and decisions taken by the municipality's task force, and that the ministry's representatives take part in work of the task force.

Viesturs Razumovskis, head of the Smart Administration and Regional Development Ministry's Local Governments Department, and Elina Petersone, head of the Economics Ministry's Business Competitiveness Department, also took part in Lace's meeting with Rezekne City Council representatives on Wednesday.

As reported, Diana Zirnina was dismissed last week as the manager of Latgale regional concert hall Gors in Rezekne on the grounds of loss of trust.

Bartasevics earlier said that Rezekne City Council no longer considers the option of placing the concert hall under the management of a private company. Two possible scenarios are now being considered - amending the delegation contract with Austrumlatvijas Koncertzale or transforming the capital company into a municipal institution.

Bartasevics believes that it would be best for the state to take over ownership of the property. "The City of Rezekne is ready to pay off the loans," the mayor said without specifying the amount of the outstanding payments, adding that it could be between EUR 3 million and EUR 4 million.

"It is not our objective to hand it over to the state, but it is our proposal if they believe that we as a municipality cannot provide proper content or proper management," Bartasevics said.