RIGA, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) -- The European Union (EU) and its departing member Britain should agree on a relationship model that would ensure the close ties between them in the future, Latvian Prime Minister Maris Kucinskis said on Wednesday.
The words came at a meeting with the EU's chief negotiator Michel Barnier here.
Kucinskis told Barnier that Latvia highly valued the unity between the EU and Britain and that during the upcoming negotiations on Britain's exit from the bloc, it was of utmost importance to uphold the principles agreed by EU heads of state and government and to respect the role of institutions in line with basic EU treaties.
Any possible agreement with Britain has to be based on the balance between obligations and rights. Access to the single market should mean that all four freedoms -- the freedom of movement of people, goods, services and capital - remain in place, the Latvian prime minister said.
Moving forward, Latvia wants the EU and Britain to develop a relationship that would ensure close cooperation based on a balance between rights and obligations of the parties concerned, Kucinskis said.
Latvia's main areas of concern in the context of Brexit include the status of its citizens in Britain, which Latvia does not want to change as Britain leaves the EU, as well as future economic, international, security and defense cooperation with Britain.
Barnier plans to visit all EU members before the talks on Britain's exit from the bloc begin.
