Let’s appreciate what we already have – a free country and the freedom to speak Latvian / Article

“We all have Latvia in our hearts! We are Latvia with our history, countryside, cities and people, whose hands hold our tomorrow,” said the Speaker of the Saeima.

She emphasized that today we celebrate a holiday when we bow our heads in gratitude to our compatriots, who dared to implement the idea of ​​Latvia with their thoughts and deeds.

“The greatest value of our country is next to us – these are our people who selflessly do their daily work and carry the name of Latvia to the world. All together we make Latvia as it is and will be,” said the Speaker of the Saeima.

“While celebrating the celebration of our country’s independence, let’s appreciate what we already have: we are a free country, we can speak Latvian freely, we can travel freely, we are in the European Union, we are a member of NATO.”

The Speaker of the Saeima emphasized that this year we are celebrating 20 years since we have been in the European Union and NATO, and thanked those who purposefully and persistently worked for the strengthening of statehood through Latvia’s membership in these organizations.

“We can compare the numbers, economic indicators, standard of living and quality of services then and now. There is no doubt about the stable growth of Latvia,” said the Speaker of the Saeima, while emphasizing that we do not lack challenges, including in connection with strengthening labor productivity, digitization and effective artificial intelligence use.

“We are all part of Europe! We are united by freedom, democracy and the rule of law. And we support cooperation with all countries that share these values, because we believe that only in such a world is sustainable development and peace possible,” said Mieriņa.

The Speaker of the Saeima highlighted Latvia’s accession to NATO 20 years ago as one of the most important decisions since the restoration of national independence.

“Participation in the alliance has enabled the development of the armed forces and guaranteed the development of the level of national defense in accordance with the security situation in the world and in the region,” said the Speaker of the Saeima, while emphasizing that the defense of our country is primarily our own responsibility.

“We are committed to protecting our country from the first centimeter!

The guarantor of our security is not only the armed forces and weapons, but comprehensive national defense and the responsibility of every citizen to participate in this system,”

expressed Mieriņa, including emphasizing the need to strengthen the information space with quality content.

Turning to Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, the Speaker of the Saeima noted that it is not a regional challenge, but a matter of global security and stability, and our response to this aggression must go beyond strengthening military defense and strengthening Ukraine’s military capabilities.

“We believe in the victory of Ukraine! We will all help to achieve it! Thank you to the citizens of Latvia, businessmen, non-governmental organizations – everyone who finds an opportunity to get involved and with their work, their means and knowledge help Ukraine achieve victory in this war! With joint efforts and not giving in to fatigue – the war is winnable!” said Mierina.

CONTEXT:

On May 4, 1990, 138 out of 201 members of the Supreme Council adopted the declaration “On the restoration of the independence of the Republic of Latvia”. The Supreme Council set a transitional period for the “de facto” restoration of state power, which ended with the convocation of the 5th Saeima of the Republic of Latvia.

On May 4, 1990, thousands of people stood in front of the parliament building all day, watching the vote. Deputies who, after the vote on restoring Latvia’s independence, went to a rally in Daugavmala, were greeted with flowers and loud cheers. Communists and Interfrontians, who refused to participate in the vote, left the parliament building through the back door.

On May 4, 1990, the Chairman of the Supreme Council, Anatoly Gorbunov, sent a message to the President of the USSR, Mikhail Gorbachev, stating that the Republic of Latvia was entering a transition period. Such a message was also sent to the governments of the countries of the world and to the peoples and democratic movements of the USSR.