Answering to the invitation of President of France Mr Emmanuel Macron, the President of Latvia will participate in the commemorative ceremony to mark the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War at the Arch of Triumph and the opening of the Paris Peace Forum.
On November 11, Latvia marks the Lāčplēsis Day in honour of the victory of the Latvian Army at the Daugava River and the liberation of Riga in 1919. Worldwide, this date binds to another event a year before, the end of the First World War.
“Our soldiers first gathered under the flags of Latvia to protect their own land. During that time, Latvia gained such invaluable allies as France, England, Poland, and Estonia. With their support, we won victory in the Latvian War of Independence. Our allies stood up for Latvia both then and now. In commemoration of the end of the First World War, I would like to honour the values we share, that is freedom, democracy, and peoples’ right to self-determination,” emphasised the President of Latvia.
At the end of the visit, Raimonds Vējonis will symbolically donate a book to the Paris Peace Library.
More than 80 Heads of State and Government, as well as leaders of international organisations, will attend the commemorative events to mark the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War in Paris.