Press releases

MINSK, 7 February (BelTA) - Belarus and Latvia should organize the best ever IIHF World Ice Hockey Championship in 2021, Belarus Prime Minister Andrei Kobyakov said as he met with Latvian counterpart Maris Kucinskis in Minsk on 7 February, BelTA has learned.

“We look forward to 2021 when we co-host the IIHF World Ice Hockey Championship. We are very happy that our joint bid won. We are seriously preparing for the event. The two countries have the relevant experience as both Belarus and Latvia hosted the IIHF worlds. Now we will work hard to make the upcoming world championship best ever,” Andrei Kobyakov said.

Belarus and Latvia have been steadily developing cooperation in tourism. Belarus’ visa free travel policy, mutual interest in history and culture, and large-scale sport projects help the two states unlock the tourist potential. Andrei Kobyakov expressed confidence that the 2019 Second European Games in Minsk and the 2021 IIHF World Championship would contribute to the increase in mutual tourist flows.