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ISSUE #5

This issue of our newsletter is dedicated to Latvia’s 92nd anniversary of the Proclamation of

Independence and the 20th anniversary of peaceful

“The Singing Revolution” when Latvia regained

independence.

PRESIDENT OBAMA CONGRATULATES PRIME

MINISTER VALDIS DOMBROVSKIS ON VICTORY

IN PARLIAMENTARY ELECTION

On October 12, President Barack Obama called Prime Minister of Latvia Valdis Dombrovskis to

congratulate him on his victory in the

parliamentary election. President Obama thanked

the Prime Minister for his role helping the Latvian economy rebound, and for Latvia’s contributions to

the International Security Assistance Force

mission in Afghanistan and its role in the Northern

Distribution Network (NDN). Link to White House

readout.

LATVIA CELEBRATES AT LIBRARY OF CONGRESS

Congressman Dennis Kucinich, co-chair of the Baltic

Caucus at Latvia’s celebration, photo: P. Alunans

Amb. A. Pildegovics and Congresswoman Shelley Berkley, Chairwoman, Transatlantic Legislators’

Dialogue, at Latvia’s celebration, at the Library of Congress, photo: P.Alunans

On the evening of Thursday, November 18

Ambassador Andrejs Pildegovics and Col. Juris Bezzubovs (Defense, Military, Naval and Air

Attaché) hosted a piano concert at the historic and

architecturally unique Thomas Jefferson Building

of the Library of Congress. The celebration of

Latvia’s 92nd Anniversary of the Proclamation of

Independence and Armed Forces Day was attended by 500 invited guests, representing the

Washington diplomatic corps, the Administration,

Congress, the business and banking sector, NGOs,

and Latvians living in the United States.

Pianist Vestards Simkus, photo: Peteris Alunans

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“Sudrabavots” ensemble, photo: Peteris Alunans

After the singing of the national anthems, led by

Latvian folk ensemble “Sudrabavots,” Ambassador Pildegovics welcomed the guests, expressing the

Latvian government’s gratitude for the support of

the US government and the American people in keeping Latvia’s flame of freedom alive. “Not so long ago, when Latvia was a captive nation, the Library of Congress served as a prime depositary of Latvian political and historical heritage,” remarked the

Ambassador. He continued, “As you may know, a modern National Library building is under construction in our capital city of Riga, symbolizing the importance of our restored nationhood and the revival of our national spirit and values.” (Full text of Ambassador Pildegovics’ remarks. )

Congressman Dennis Kucinich (Dem-OH, co-chairman of the Baltic Caucus) also addressed the

audience, recounting the struggles of the Latvian

people in their fight for independence, and the

unwavering support of the Americans throughout

the decades. Congresswoman Shelley Berkley

(Dem-NV), Chairwoman of the Transatlantic Legislators’ Dialogue, also attended to express her

congratulations.

The brief remarks were followed by a piano

concert, performed by Latvia’s 26-year old piano

virtuoso Vestards Šimkus, winner of several

international piano competitions and an

extraordinarily talented Latvian musician, composer and interpreter. He performed pieces by

Beethoven, Chopin and Gershwin, as well as by

Latvian composers Janis Medins and Peteris Vasks. The final piece, Heartbeats of Astor Piazzolla, was the pianist’s own composition. At

the end of the performance, the audience gave the

young artist a standing ovation, expressing their awe and appreciation for his captivating

performance.

Following the concert, guests gathered in the Great

Hall, with a close-up view of the Capitol, for a post-

concert reception. Segments of the evening’s event

were aired in Latvia, on the Latvian television news program “Panorama.”

THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CELEBRATION

CONTINUES

Mrs. Natalia Kislyak and Amb. Sergey Kislyak (Russian Federation), pianist Vestards Simkus,

Amb. Andrejs Pildegovics and Mrs. Elena Pildegovica, photo P.Alunans

Amb. and Mrs. Pildegovica welcome Amb. Motsyk and Mrs. Natalia Terletska (Ukraine), photo: P.Alunans

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Col. Juris Bezzubovs greets Major Zezva Liparteliani, Georgia’s Defense Attache, photo: P.Alunans

Ambassador and Mrs. Pildegovica greet Mr. Craig Kennedy, President, German Marshall Fund and Mrs. Kennedy, photo: P.Alunans

Spouses of European Ambassadors: Mrs. Malgorzata Kopiecka (Poland), Mrs. Cecilie Joergensen Strommen (Norway), Mrs. Louise

Akerblom (Luxembourg), Mrs. Agnes Julia Aerts (Belgium) with Mrs. Elena Pildegovica, photo: P.Alunans

The National Day event was held in cooperation

with the Freeport of Riga, Baltic International Bank, Aizkraukles Bank of Latvia, the Latvian

Cultural Association “Tilts,” the Culture Capital

Foundation of Latvia, and Latvia’s Honorary

Consuls John Medveckis (Philadelphia) and Ahmet

Oren (Buffalo, NY).

SECRETARY OF STATE HILLARY CLINTON

CONGRATULATES LATVIA

On November 16, the State Department released the following statement in honor of Latvia’s

National Day:

On behalf of President Obama and the people of

the United States, I congratulate the people of

Latvia on the anniversary of your independence

this November 18. The Latvian people have

cherished the ideals of freedom and independence since 1918, despite decades of war and occupation.

The United States joins in celebrating Latvia’s

flourishing democracy and the inspiration it

provides to countries around the world.

We are proud of our long history of unbroken

friendship with Latvia and our cooperation on

many of today’s pressing challenges. As allies in

NATO, we are joined by our commitment to defend

individual freedoms, democracy, and human rights around the world. Latvia has made invaluable

contributions to the international mission in

Afghanistan, and we honor the commitment and

sacrifice of the Latvian people as they help

Afghanistan secure its future.

I wish all Latvians a happy independence day. We

look forward to expanding the cooperation between

our countries as we strive to build a future defined by peace, prosperity, and freedom for all people.

Hillary Rodham Clinton, Secretary of State

Washington, DC, November 16, 2010

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AMBASSADOR PRESENTS CROSS OF

RECOGNITION

Dr. Švechs and Amb. Pildegovics,

Photo: Peteris Alunans

On November 18 at the Embassy of Latvia

Ambassador Andrejs Pildegovics presented the

“Cross of Recognition” (“Atzinibas krusts”) to Dr.

Ilga Brigita Švechs of Cleveland. Dr. Švechs, a

clinical psychologist and professor emeritus, Case

Western Reserve University, has also been

instrumental in her support of the Latvian

Sculpture Garden in Cleveland, Ohio. The Cross of

Recognition is awarded by the Office of the

President to individuals who have demonstrated an

outstanding commitment to Latvia, and for

achievements in the spheres of education and

culture.

DIPLOMATS PARTICIPATE IN INDEPENDENCE

CELEBRATIONS IN CHICAGO, MILWAUKEE,

PHILADELPHIA AND WASHINGTON, DC

This year, Ambassador Andrejs Pildegovics was the keynote speaker at the Chicago Latvian

Community’s celebration on Noember 13. Ambassador Pildegovics also presented remarks at

the event honoring Latvia’s independence day in

Rockville, Maryland, held on November 20 and

organized by the Latvian Organizations of

Washington (LOV).

Amb. Pildegovics with Chicago Latvians, photo: Gunars Lucans

Milwaukee celebration, photo: Eriks Kakulis

On November 14 Deputy Chief of Mission Juris

Poikans addressed the Milwaukee Latvian

community. Also on November 14, John

Medveckis, Latvia’s Honorary Consul in

Pennsylvania, organized a concert and reception

for friends of Latvia in Philadelphia. Normans Penke, Latvia’s Ambassador to the UN, was the

main speaker at the event. In addressing the group

of 150 invited guests, including Philadelphia Mayor

Michael Nutter, Amb. Penke emphasized the

strength and endurance of the Latvian people in their fight for independence and in forming an

independent country. Following the remarks,

Latvian pianist Reinis Zarins performed.

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AMBASSADOR PILDEGOVICS MAKES “VIRTUAL

VISIT” TO INDIANA

On the afternoon of Wednesday, November 17 Ambassador Pildegovics addressed the Baltic and

Finnish Student Association of Indiana University-

Bloomington. The Ambassador participated in the

Independence Day celebration via Skype internet

conferencing, which allowed the Ambassador and

the Indiana students to have a face-to-face discussion.

PRESIDENT ZATLERS ADDRESS TO LATVIANS

ABROAD

This year President Valdis Zatlers recorded a video message to Latvians abroad for Latvia’s

Independence Day. Please click on the video

message to view (the video is in Latvian).

FORMER PRIME MINISTER V.BIRKAVS AT THE

EUROPEAN INSTITUTE

Valdis Birkavs, Joelle Attinger (President, European

Institute), Pamela Quanrud, (Deputy Assistant

Secretary of State), Amb. Andrejs Pildegovics

(Embassy of Latvia photo)

On November 16, former Prime Minister of Latvia

Valdis Birkavs as one of the two co-authors of the

NB8 Wise Man Report shared his views on the prospects of Nordic-Baltic Cooperation at a

roundtable organized jointly by the European

Institute and the Embassy of Latvia. During his

deliberations he was joined by Ms. Pamela

Quanrud, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State; Dr. Anders Ǻslund, senior fellow of the Peterson

Institute and author of “The Last Shall be the First:

The East European Financial Crisis; Joëlle Attinger, President of the European Institute, and

representatives of the US Government and

diplomatic corps.

AMBASSADOR VISITS ATLANTA AS PART OF

“EXPERIENCE AMERICA” PROGRAM

Ambassador Pildegovics with Atlanta Latvians

From October 12-14, 2010 Ambassador Andrejs

Pildegovics and Mrs. Pildegovica visited Atlanta,

Georgia under the auspices of the "Experience America" program organized by the Office of the

Chief of Protocol, U.S. Department of State.

During his visit to Atlanta, Ambassador Pildegovics

met with Atlanta Mayor Kamim Reed and Governor Sonny Perdue. The ambassadors also toured the

Carter Library and visited Morehouse College,

Georgia Tech, the Centers for Disease Control

(CDC), CNN and Coca-Cola.

Ambassador Pildegovics also had the opportunity

to meet with Latvians living in the Atlanta area.

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POLITICAL DIRECTORS FROM E-PINE COUNTRIES

MEET IN WASHINGTON

On November 4, political directors from e-PINE (Enhanced Partnership in Northern Europe)

countries met at the State Department in

Washington to exchange views on topical

international issues such as Iran, China,

Afghanistan, Russia and others. Latvia was

represented by its political director Andris Razāns.

This year the political directors’ encounter was joined by representatives of think-tanks of the nine

countries at an event hosted by the Embassy of

Lithuania.

In conjunction with the e-PINE meeting,

Ambassador Andrejs Pildegovics addressed a

workshop, held at the House of Sweden on

November 4. The Ambassador’s remarks are

available on the Embassy of Latvia website.

LATVIAN SAND SCULPTOR WINS FIRST PLACE IN

FLORIDA COMPETITION

Twenty master sand sculptors from across the

world competed in the 1st Annual Siesta Key

Crystal Classic in Florida, a competition of some of

the world’s best sand sculptors. The winning sand

sculpture "Circle of Life" was created by Sandis

Kondrats, of Latvia and his partner Sue McGrew,

of Tacoma, Washington. The “Circle of Life” took

more than 24 hours to complete. First prize was

$18,000.

Sandis Kondrats of Latvia and Sue McGrew, winners of Florida sand sculpture competition

500th ANNIVERSARY OF THE CHRISTMAS TREE IN

LATVIA

We are celebrating the 500th anniversary of the

first decorated Christmas tree in Latvia! Celebrate

the 500 year anniversary of the decorated

Christmas tree with a fresh, local tree, and win a

free trip to Riga, Latvia. Visit any Maryland

Christmas Tree Association (MCTA) member farm

and enter to win a 7 day trip to Riga, including air

fare, lodging and planned activities. The contest

runs from November 22-December 22.

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COMING IN DECEMBER…

Mark your calendars! On Friday, December 10 at

4:00 p.m. Ambassador Andrejs Pildegovics will

light a Christmas Tree in front of the Embassy, at

2306 Massachusetts Ave., NW (Sheridan Circle).

Light refreshments will be served. If you are

interested in attending, please send your RSVP to

rsvp.embassy.usa@mfa.gov.lv

* * * * *

The Embassy of Latvia welcomes comments about

this newsletter at embassy.usa@mfa.gov.lv

Embassy of Latvia website: www.latvia-usa.org

The Embassy of Latvia can also be found on Facebook.