Remarks by Andrejs Pildegovics, Ambassador of the Republic of Latvia November 18, 2009 at the Embassy of Latvia Washington D.C. Dear Colleagues Ambassadors, Members of the Administration, Representatives of the US Congress, Dear friends of Latvia, Fellow Latvians, Ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to welcome you all to the Embassy of Latvia. I am particularly honored to welcome Mrs Ruth Dinbergs, the spouse of the late ambassador Anatols Dinbergs. Ambassador Dinbergs led the Latvian Legation in the US capitol during the last three decades of Soviet occupation and had the fortunate opportunity to witness the miraculous resurrection of Latvia as an independent state a few months before the demise of the Soviet Union. Today, we have gathered to celebrate the National Day of the Republic of Latvia. On November 18, 1918 the Latvians ultimately realized the dream of continuous generations about a modern, united, and democratic state. For Latvians it is a very special day that has a deep symbolic meaning. Freedom has never been free for Latvians. Freedom has never been granted or presented to Latvians. For many centuries, national identity has been preserved against foreign domination, persecution, and repressions. Regrettably, the first period of independence lasted only 22 years. Seventy years ago, following the Soviet and Nazi secret pact, the Latvian state was destroyed again. For long five decades, Latvians could not celebrate this holiday. In the eighties, when I was in high school such a celebration was strictly forbidden by the repressive Soviet regime. It became possible only twenty years ago, during the democratic transformation of Central and Eastern Europe. This month, Germans celebrate the fall of the Berlin Wall, Czechs and Slovaks mark the Velvet Revolution. The Baltic nations as well made their lasting contribution to democratization and reunification of Europe. The peoples of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia succeeded in a peaceful, non-violent independence movement called the Singing Revolution. On August 23, 1989, almost two million Balts made a 400- mile long continuous human chain from Tallinn to Vilnius. This August the Baltic American community organized a commemoration of this tremendous event in Washington D.C. by forming a human chain across Massachusetts Avenue between the Latvian and Estonian Embassies. This month is the first anniversary of visa-free travel between Latvia and the US. The removal of the last vestige of the Iron Curtain opened new possibilities for interaction between our peoples, including the youngest generation, which has no personal memories of the Cold War. Neither miraculous reemergence, nor profound transformation of Latvia would have been possible without the strong support of allies and partners. Availing of this opportunity I would like to thank in particular the people of America and successive US administrations for placing strong bipartisan support to the Baltics. Your unwavering position has helped to endure the dark years of the Soviet occupation as well as to succeed during the challenging years of transition. This year, we mark the first five years of the EU and NATO membership. Latvia is proud to be a good NATO ally of the US and we stand ready to give our fare share of contribution in NATO operations, including in Afghanistan. Under the leadership of the President Barak Obama the partnership between Europe and the US gained new momentum. Latvia is eager to facilitate the dialog between the European Union and the US, in particular on the energy issue and will work hard to further the Eastern partnership program with the neighboring countries. The current world economic crisis has tested in a profound way the resilience of the Latvian people. I use this occasion to thank all partners of Latvia for your continuous support in this crucial moment. Our membership in the EU, assistance from the Nordic and Central European countries as well as international financial institutions have helped us to reverse the economic recession. When the going gets tough, I occasionally look at the portraits of my predecessors in our library downstairs. Some of them perished in Siberia, some were tortured in Stutthoff, some spent most of their lives in forced exile. I reflect on the pressing issues of the day and regain confidence that we will overcome current difficulties and will succeed together. I raise this toast to the enduring friendship between Latvia and the United States of America, to the fostering of transatlantic partnership, to safety of our troops, and to the prosperity of our peoples! Priekâ! Cheers!