Latvia, Serbia prime ministers call for faster reform and diversified partnerships at WGS panel

WAM

DUBAI, February 5, 2026 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) – Leaders speaking at the World Governments Summit 2026 identified resilience, rapid reform, innovation and diversified international partnerships as core requirements for countries seeking to remain competitive in a multipolar global system.

The panel, titled “From Reform to Results: How Nations Rise,” featured Latvian Prime Minister Evika Siliņa and Serbian Prime Minister Đuro Macut, moderated by Maria Tadeo of Euronews.

Siliņa described speed as a decisive factor for Europe’s competitiveness, with priority on reducing bureaucracy, enabling innovation and improving conditions for calculated private-sector risk-taking. She pointed to Latvia’s fully digital public sector as a practical model for growth acceleration and highlighted the need to channel idle private capital in Europe into productive investment, particularly in technology.

Macut outlined Serbia’s approach as diversification of international partnerships while maintaining the European Union as its principal economic partner, noting that the EU accounts for around 70% of Serbian exports. He also highlighted deeper engagement with partners in the Middle East, Asia and the Global South, including the UAE, and identified information technology, education, science, agriculture and energy as pillars of long-term growth.

Speakers closed the session with emphasis on pragmatic trade and investment cooperation, alongside shared values, as governments adapt to shifting global economic and political dynamics.