In order to create an image of Riga as a place where one can enjoy living, working and relaxing, foreign experience offers a lot of help. Cooperation management and adoption of other cities’ experience is being organized and coordinated by the Foreign Affairs Office of the Riga City Council. In accordance with regulations, the main task of the Foreign Affairs Office of the Riga City Council is to organize, coordinate and ensure the cooperation of Riga municipality with foreign municipalities and organizations subjected to them, as well as to develop and coordinate partnership with other foreign international institutions by taking part in the development of international projects and programmes in the competence of the Riga municipality.
The goal of the activities is to foster the adoption of the best foreign practice and experience in the field of city management, foreign investments attraction, tourism development and business promotion, make the work of Riga municipality more effective and to ensure sustainable development of the city.
Sister cities of Riga
The sister cities movement first started developing after World War II, in year 1974. It grew together with the citizens’ and nations’ wish to strengthen communication and friendship between different cultures, promote peace, strengthen trade partnerships and tourism.
The first contacts of Riga with foreign cities started developing in the 60ies of the last century and those were Rostock in the GDR and Pori in Finland. During the following years the network of sister cities started broadening, with even more connections being formed to cities in Europe, other continents and regions.
Riga, as a Baltic metropolis, is an attractive foreign cooperation partner for the established sister cities as well as for municipalities, regions and international organizations of other countries. Municipality partnership, which is based upon reliable relations, can be a mutual enrichment source by developing new forms of partnership, exchanging experience and advice, discussing the changes that might concern the cities, as well as by mutually supporting the development of infrastructure and environment.
Riga has 29 sister cities on five continents, and the contracts with the sister cities serve as a foundation for cooperation in the areas of culture, education, traffic organization and city development, as well as healthcare, tourism, investment, business and environment.
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