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A delegation from Jelgava, a partner city, visited the Šiauliai City Municipality. The guests showed interest in attracting investments and reviewed the latest infrastructure projects currently being implemented.

A leadership delegation from Jelgava, one of the closest partner cities in Latvia, arrived in Šiauliai. Together with the newly elected Mayor of Jelgava, Martins Dagis, the delegation included the Deputy Mayor responsible for social, education, and cultural affairs, Executive Director Irina Malahovska, Deputy Director Liga Daugaviete, and Head of the Development and Urban Planning Department Gunita Osite. The guests were received by Šiauliai Mayor Artūras Visockas and Vice Mayor Justinas Švėgžda.

“We are pleased to welcome not only our closest neighbors but also our best partners. Šiauliai has partner cities in various countries, but none of these relationships are as close as the one with Jelgava. We cooperate in a wide range of fields, from public safety and culture to urban development. We currently have joint investment projects that contribute to the well-being of residents in both cities. We have learned a lot from you and are happy to share our knowledge and achievements in areas that are important to you,” said Šiauliai Mayor Artūras Visockas.

“Thank you for welcoming us to your increasingly beautiful city. We were eager to meet and learn how you address issues in various sectors. It is also important for us to see firsthand how key projects are being implemented,” said Jelgava Mayor Martins Dagis.

The representatives from Jelgava were particularly interested in public infrastructure development projects across various sectors and the funding attracted for their implementation from European Union funds, the state budget, and allocations from the Šiauliai city budget. Head of the Public Investment Department Ieva Džiaugienė presented information about the funding the city has received in recent years from various sources, which has been steadily increasing. The guests were also introduced to the largest projects in Šiauliai, some of which have already been completed, while others are still in the planning stage.

The Jelgava delegation also visited one of the city’s largest sports infrastructure facilities — a rapidly developing rugby and football indoor arena, a cycling track installed using participatory budget funds, and the Šiauliai Arena.