RIGA, April 13 (LETA) - The most important thing that Riga has managed to do during the last term is to regain trust and become more Latvian, said Riga Mayor Vilnis Kirsis (New Unity) in an interview with LETA.

He said that Riga has managed to introduce a completely different governance, straighten out municipal companies and depoliticize their management.

"If in the past there were people close to politics everywhere, even city council members, then this is no longer the case. If there used to be 40 cases of corruption or embezzlement, there are virtually none now, because the one that is being mentioned is related to developments in the Ministry of Transport," Kirsis said.

Governments are currently talking to Riga, banks are ready to lend, European donors are ready to give money. So Riga has managed to attract around EUR 700 million for various public investments - bridge repairs, tram line reconstructions, mobility points, buses, new roads.

"For years we have been talking about a ring road to keep freight out of the city center, and we have accomplished this. For years there has been talk about connecting rail to public transport in Riga, and we have got the money and we are building proper access to the stations. About the streets being in a bad state... We have a resurfacing system that is starting to work," said Kirsis.

The second is in connection with values. Riga has become more Latvian - monuments that were evidence of false history have been demolished. Streets have been renamed, Victory Park has been reconstructed. There has also been a shift to state language education in schools.

But what has failed, according to Kirsis, is in regards to housing. Various instruments have been created, but it is not enough.

In general, housing is an area where the next Riga City Council will have to work very hard and perhaps even ask the Parliament to go for unconventional changes to the law, such as allowing the building manager to make decisions for the residents without taking ownership of the building.