President of Latvia Egils Levits and board members of the World Federation of Free Latvians (PBLA) met at Jūrmala residence on 8 June. One of the main focuses of the meeting was geopolitical and security situation. President of Latvia informed PBLA leadership about this week’s NATO Eastern Flank (B9 or Bucharest Nine) Summit, where leaders of B9 countries will discuss common position on future reinforcement of allied presence in Latvia.
‘We want to intensify permanent allied presence. NATO troops should spend more time in Latvia. That would send a clear signal to Kremlin that allied troops are here to stay and help defend all members of the Alliance,’ President of Latvia said. ‘Deterrence policy is the main strategy of NATO. We must show our power to deter Russia. There is no other way. We must show our military capabilities,’ Egils Levits underlined. Members of PBLA board also enquired about President Levits’ take on how war in Ukraine will develop and enlargement of NATO after Sweden and Finland’s membership requests.
Current domestic politics, foreign policy and diaspora policy were also discussed. General elections this October will be the main political event in Latvia this year, President of Latvia pointed out. ‘These elections will bring us back on track,’ Egils Levits said as he urged PBLA to encourage diaspora to vote and raise awareness on how elections work among Latvians abroad. Participants also talked about social cohesion, internal security and need to boost the integrity of interior system. Representatives of PBLA were also keen to discuss education reform and full switch to education in official language only. They presented the experience of diaspora schools.
President also mentioned the forthcoming Three Seas Summit and Business Forum, which will take place on 20-21 June, bringing 12 heads of state and several hundreds of business leaders to Riga for an event focused on private investments into regional transport and energy networks. PBLA board members told President of Latvia about progress of diaspora organisations towards Esslingen Song Festival on 16-19 June 2022.
President of Latvia Egils Levits also used the opportunity to present the Certificate of Merit to Andris Ķesteris, one of the members of the board of World Federation of Free Latvians, for dedicating his life and efforts to preserving the sense of Latvian identity in diaspora and shaping diaspora policy. ‘Your love for Latvia runs deep. You wholly devoted your life to Latvia. You encouraged diaspora to take active part in all significant events for Latvia, took care of Latvian values and traditions, documented and described historical events, nurtured Latvian culture and education, and lead non-governmental organisations in Canada and Europe for many years,’ Egils Levits said.
