Fate has decreed that I assume the presidential duties at the beginning of turbulent times full of different challenges. The world is currently undergoing major changes, because peace and security in Europe are again overshadowed by peril more than fifty years after.
Latvia is a free and democratic country! Our people are smart, talented, and creative, they are endowed with inexhaustible capacity for work, which is rooted in faith in the happy future! However, the great times of change are not easy. They always come with different challenges, constraints, and challenges for everyone. It requires venture, great courage, and perseverance to overcome those hard times. All my duties of the President will be devoted to strengthening, developing the democratic traditions in our country in order to unite the people of Latvia, defend its interests among the great family of nations, and enhance its prosperity so that we all would feel safe for ourselves, our families, and our country.
A very important historic stage just ended in Latvia that is professionally and brilliantly completed Presidency of the Council of the European Union! Latvia led by the family of European Union Member States for six months. May we all be proud of the achievements made, because it is our common contribution!
I wish that we succeeded together while working in favour of our Latvia. Let us build our country together so that it would be the country, whose splendour would make us all proud.
I would like to raise my glass to the bright future of Latvia, to our people, to our friends and allies!
May Latvia live as long as the Sun!