President Mary McAleese has sought to allay fears of a "brain drain" in Latvia, telling audiences during a state visit that she believes most Latvian migrants to Ireland will eventually return home.
Migration can be a thorny subject in Latvia, with between 50,000 and 100,000 Latvians estimated to have emigrated since the country joined the EU in 2004. Many have moved to Britain and Ireland. Politicians and analysts are concerned that the exodus could hamper the country's development.
To many Latvians Ireland is now synonymous with migration, and the issue has emerged several times during Mrs McAleese's visit, the first time an Irish president has paid a visit to Latvia.
Mrs McAleese took a number of questions on migration from an audience she addressed at Latvia University yesterday, including one on how the Baltic state could learn from initiatives undertaken by the Irish Government to persuade Irish emigrants to return. Latvian migrants to Ireland, she said, "are an important part of our success and we hope they will also be part of Latvia's success".
Speaking later to The Irish Times,she said that while it was understandable that Latvians had concerns about the numbers leaving, she was certain that most would return. Earlier, the President addressed a business reception hosted by the Enterprise Ireland trade delegation accompanying her on the visit.