Russian premier Viktor Chernomyrdin and the German Chancellor Helmut Kohl have joined Baltic leaders in Latvia for the heads of government summit.

Their presence adds weight to the talks between the regional leaders of the 11-nation Council of Baltic Sea States.

Latvian Foreign Minister, Valdis Birkvas, said: "Participation of both these countries is very important and these two figures provide a special significance to the decisions taken by the Council," he said.

It is the first time either leader has travelled to Latvia since it gained independence from the former Soviet Union.

Mr Birkvas said that greater regional co-operation at the CBSS summit would provide impetus for the Baltic states' attempts to join the EU.

He said: "A lot of questions which should be solved within the Baltic states region are questions which we should resolve to be members of the European Union."

To date, only Estonia has been asked to apply for membership of the 15-nation European Union.

The bid by Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania to join NATO has run into implacable Russian opposition.

Baltic leaders are to discuss regional co-operation and trade among member states as well as the Baltic states' bid for EU membership.

They will also look at joint efforts to fight crime, including the growing problems of drug smuggling, illegal migration and money laundering that have hindered economic development in the post-Soviet era.
 

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