MINSK, 16 January (BelTA) – Latvia's Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins gave a Latvia Team hockey jersey to Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko after their meeting in Minsk on 16 January. The white jersey is embroidered with a No.1 and the Belarus president's name, BelTA learned.
For his part, Aleksandr Lukashenko presented a statuette of a European bison, one of Belarus' major symbols, to the prime minister of Latvia.
Krisjanis Karins has chosen a Latvia Team hockey jersey as a gift for a reason: in 2021, Minsk and Riga will co-host the IIHF World Championship. Its organization was discussed among other issues during the talks in the Independence Palace.
The Latvian prime minister said that everything is going according to plan on the Latvian side. “We are very excited about the opportunity to co-host the IIHF World Championship with you," he said. “What is especially pleasant: Belarus and Latvia teams are in different groups. So there is a chance they meet in Minsk at the end of the championship”.
“God forbid,” Aleksandr Lukashenko joked and explained that the Belarus ice hockey team has had a lot of trouble at the hands of Latvia, so they would be wary of playing against them in Minsk during the championship.
