During the visit, the President of Latvia met with Mayor of Lüneburg Dr Ulrich Mädge and discussed bilateral co-operation between Latvia and Germany, especially in culture and the preservation of common historical heritage.
The President of Latvia pointed out that, Lüneburg was a city of the Hanseatic League like many Latvian towns. Latvia and Germany share centuries-long close economic, educational, and cultural ties. “It is material for us to learn about the cultural heritage of Baltic Germans to facilitate further identification of our common historical heritage,” noted Raimonds Vējonis.
In its turn, to discuss the fostering, maintenance, and research of culture and traditions Baltic Germans, the President of Latvia and First Lady of Latvia Iveta Vējone met with the representatives of the Baltic German Cultural Foundation* and visited the East Prussian Museum, where they familiarised with the exposition of Baltic German Section.
In the afternoon, President of Latvia Raimonds Vējonis opened a discussion “80 years after the Departure of the Baltic Germans. The Identity of Baltic Germans Today” at the East Prussian Museum. When addressing the participants of the discussion, the President of Latvia indicated that the cultural heritage created by Baltic Germans over for centuries is still being identified and studied, because the ruling ideology has not always allowed focusing on this task.
“Almost 30 years have passed since the end of the Soviet occupation, and the need for a new look at the common past has matured in the Latvian society. I hope that the discussion on the identity of Baltic Germans will contribute to strengthening the public sense of belonging and will create the conditions for its revival in the younger generations,” emphasised Raimonds Vējonis.
The state visit of the President of Latvia to Germany takes place from 21 February to 25 February 2019. During the visit, the President of Latvia has met with Federal President of Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Federal Chancellor of Germany Ms Angela Merkel, and President of Bundestag Dr Wolfgang Schäuble, as well as the President of Latvia as a guest of honour, addressed prominent German state and local government representatives, entrepreneurs, as well as representatives of culture and science the audience at the Matthiae-Mahlzeit Banquet hosted by the City of Hamburg.
*The aim of the Baltic German Cultural Foundation is to facilitate, maintain, and explore the Baltic German culture and traditions, as well as to promote relations based on a full mutual understanding with the Baltic States. To this end, the Foundation maintains a vast depository of archives and the most extensive library of Baltic German literature (fiction and specialised literature) in Germany, as well as it promotes research of Baltic German history by organising workshops, lectures, and exhibitions and by publishing scientific and publicist works.
