Latvia GDP up 11.9 pct in 2006

Mar 9, 2007 - Latvia's GDP grew by 11.9 pct in 2006 from 2005, the national statistics office said.

This was a record for annual economic growth since the Baltic republic regained its independence from Moscow in 1991.

Last year's growth rate puts Latvia at the top of the 27 members of the enlarged European Union, which it joined in 2004.

In the fourth quarter of 2006, Latvia's GDP grew 11.7 pct from a year earlier, according the latest figures.

In 2005, GDP grew by 10.2 pct.