Honourable Mr Veismanis and the community of Latvian politically repressed persons Members of the Saeima and the European Parliament A year has passed since we last met here at the Ikšķile open-air theatre We talked at length about issues that were important then and remain important today: commemorating everyone who perished in exile in Siberia under the repressions of the Soviet occupation regime to remind society about these pages in the history of our state because in March we marked 75 years since the repressions of 1949 Many of those present today were also in Īle where we commemorated the fighters of the national defence movement who fought their last battle against the chekists and their overpowering forces And today we meet again here to talk about our state and the issues that are crucial to the politically repressed community Nothing much has changed over the course of this year The paramount task and duty for all of us is to safeguard the independence of our state we have done a great deal to strengthen our national security and defence We have done a great deal to support Ukraine and we see that despite sceptics and pessimists but has now even managed to conduct a strong counterstrike against the Russian empire namely supporting our Ukrainian friends and brothers is something we will have to keep on doing I am genuinely pleased that so much has already been done to strengthen our national defence The first round of recruits have completed their service in the State Defence Service They have demonstratively proven wrong all the sceptics who said that the youth is good for nothing that does not mean that we can stop at this we must continue to inspire them in any way possible There is a lot that is being done together with our allies our allies are expanding their presence to the level a brigade The number of our friends here is increasing but we also have a lot of tasks and homework to do ourselves There are also things that we are not proud of or happy with Our internal security capabilities are insufficient our courts are still showing leniency to criminals who ought to be judged more strictly especially for crimes against national security and independence We still have a lot to do in order to strengthen our information space to combat various types of provocations and propaganda Together we have achieved that as of 1 September history will return to the school curriculum as a separate subject This was something that worried just many last year I would like to sincerely thank the Ministry of Education and Science for listening because the study of history is still not at the level we would like it to be And this is where we still have a lot of work to do I would like to invite you all to share your memories actively talk about your experiences and tell your stories share what you have gone through with the youth and motivate them Perhaps you can go to schools and universities more often talk with people and remind them about those horrible times so that they may never be repeated I guess we sometimes are indeed the proverbial typical Latvians in that we often tend to get lost in squabbles I would like to urge us all to keep in mind that not everything we argue about in our daily lives is really all that important is our national independence and the tenacity of our people There is an episode in “Children of Siberia” where a mother tells her children: “Stay together and everything will be alright!” That is what I wish to you all: stay together and then everything will be alright May the next year be an equally strong one for Latvia’s community of the politically repressed and the whole of our state and nation I look forward to seeing you all again next year Your feedback will help us improve this site More During the festival the Operetta Theater would like to share the most glorious things that have been created in the theatre over the last ten years the festival will cover various genres of musical theatre but the guiding principle will be to provide the audience with only positive emotions, says Agija Ozoliņa-Kozlovska Artistic Director of the Operetta Theater: "We have thought about this and sincerely wish that everyone who comes can really enjoy this festival from all points of view pleasing to the ear and touching the heart and soul The prelude to the festival will be the concert "Vivat!" this Sunday at the Ikšķile Lutheran Church The main events of the festival will start on August 1 and will take place for three days at the Ikšķile Open Air Stage The festival will culminate on Saturday with the Anniversary Gala Concert "Celebrate Operetta!" the program will include the most beautiful operetta numbers from our repertoire the ones that have been most dear to our hearts over the past ten years the ones that have been singled out by our audiences as their favorites," says the artistic director The gala concert will feature a wide range of soloists from France dancers and an orchestra under the direction of Atvars Lakstīgala This will be followed by the traditional Waltz Evening with Atvars Lakstīgala conducting the orchestra I don't know of many events in Latvia where you can come and dance with a full symphony orchestra," says the conductor.  Select text and press Ctrl+Enter to send a suggested correction to the editor Select text and press Report a mistake to send a suggested correction to the editor President Edgars Rinkēvičs participated in the 24th gathering of Latvian politically repressed persons in Ikšķile daily reminding of the tragic pages of our people and country’s history being still living witnesses of the atrocities that can and have been committed by Stalin's regime which unfortunately is now embodied in the current policy of the Russian Federation is a reminder to us – those who are currently leading the country and those who are responsible for the fate of our people and country – that there are things that must never be repeated which I have clearly defined when I took office as President is strengthening the security of our country Our allies have been here for several years it was announced that even more of our allies would be coming here to Latvia We have restored and are successfully implementing the National Defence Service but I do not think anyone doubts our national defence capabilities the situation is different when it comes to strengthening the internal security of our country There is still a lot of work that need to be done that have been unforgivably delayed – the construction of the country's eastern border the financing of our national internal affairs system there has been a great deal of confusion about the lenient sentences and actions in the area of both hate crimes and national security crimes These are issues that both I and our country's National Security Council will be working on because we must all understand that the security of our country is indivisible We cannot have a situation in which our soldiers will defend our country The second thing I would definitely like to emphasise is that our international situation is complicated but our allies and our friends will always be by our side and will help us But we also have a responsibility towards our Ukrainian friends and allies The Ukrainians continue to fight and we must continue to support Ukraine in every way Sometimes it feels like a bit of fatigue and getting used to the news from the front That is what we should remember every day: at the moment help to protect our country and help Ukraine to hold on I call on everyone to continue to support Ukraine the bitter historical experience of our country and our people now helps and helped me in my previous work to explain why Latvia and other Baltic countries why other Eastern and Central European countries are so supportive of Ukraine I remind these people of the deportations of 1941 and 1949 What is happening to Ukrainian children in Ukraine is what happened to many of you when you were little children We need to strengthen our national identity more it is a big mistake that history lessons are no longer taught as a separate subject in schools I hope that the Ministry of Education and Science is thinking of correcting this mistake The subject of history must return to schools and our students and children must learn it fully I hope that this will be one of the tasks that both the Ministry of Education and Science and the Government - and I will be following this up – will actually do There are things that may have been done with good intentions We need to be reminded of both the bright and the tragic pages of our nation because without history there is no future I would like to conclude by saying thank you very much for being here in such large numbers even though your ranks are growing thinner I very much look forward to your support and close cooperation during my term of office I am confident that together we will succeed in not only strengthening our country but also in developing it and making it one of the most beautiful and also the most developed countries in Europe,’ said President E Take note – story published 7 years and 8 months ago As the Riga Hydroelectric Power Station has lowered water levels locals and tourists have a rare opportunity to walk rather than take a boat to the Ikšķile church ruins The church may be called the place where Christianity began in Latvia is for a short time connected to the mainland via gravel roads usually submerged under water Water levels will remain lowered from August 15 to September 30.  The church was built by Germany's Saint Meinhard who traveled with merchants to Livonia on a Catholic mission to convert the peoples living in what is now Latvia to Christianity He settled in Ikšķile and began building the church in 1184.  Until the foundation of Riga in 1201 the church was the seat of the Bishop of Livonia It was thoroughly rebuilt from 1879 - 1881 destroyed in 1916 and damaged in the second world war.  With the construction of the Riga Hydroelectric Power Plant in the 1970s an artificial island was erected to prevent water from flooding the ruins.  A 10-meter cross and a stone altar were erected on the island after Latvia regained independence For the purpose of conservation the ruins were covered with metal in 2002 Read more about the ruins and how to get there on Latvia's official tourism website As part of EuroBirdwatch 2013 (October 5-6) there will be 22 bird watching events all around Latvia Similar to residents of 40 other countries of Europe Latvia’s residents can participate in excursions and report the birds they saw says the Latvian Ornithologists Association Degumniki and Litene will all hold 22 events dedicated to bird watching There will be bird watching excursions and workshops Participation in these events should be registered in advance at the Latvian Ornithologists Association Residents are encouraged to watch birds on their own Ornithologists urge residents to report the watched birds and the number of participants to the association on the phone: 67221580 e-mail: putni@lob.lv or Dabasdati.lv portal Information regarding the birds watched this Saturday and Sunday will then be sent to EuroBirdwatch 2013 coordinators – Slovak Ornithological Society This will be the 20th time Europe holds the bird watching day 2009 Latvian farmers weather economic storm Kristina Rizga of the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting writes about how farmers are coping with the difficult economic times in Latvia where the economy is expected to contract by 16.5 percent this year Watch the Worldfocus signature story “Empty stores, offices tell tale of Latvia’s economic fall.” Sixty-year-old farmer Marite Martuzane wakes up every morning at 4:30 and rarely goes to sleep before midnight Unlike most sectors of the Latvian economy that have slowed dramatically many small farms that sell directly to their clients have more work than they can handle “We are somehow doing better in the economic crisis,” Martuzane explains with a broad as she gives us a tour of her small farm in Adazi a rural town about 30 minutes away from the capital city of Riga “People buy more at farmer’s markets now to save money.” The daughter of a small apple grower at the Riga Central Farmer’s Market The apples grown on their land in Ikskile always sold well but they are now selling even more than last year who sells fish caught by a local fisherman has similarly noticed a spike in her sales this year Martuzane works on the farm with her two kids as well as tend to three large greenhouses and an expansive open garden where they grow vegetables and flowers The countryside with small farms like Martuzane’s always held a special place in the Latvian culture and is still strongly associated with the idea of being Latvian When Latvia proclaimed its independence in 1918 agriculture was the largest and strongest sector of the economy and it employed about two-thirds of the work force When the Soviet Union occupied Latvia in 1945 aggressive industrialization and forced relocation of labor particularly in the ’60s reduced agriculture’s share of the labor force to about 16 percent by 1990 feed shortages and rising cost of farm equipment created a decline in agricultural production in Latvia Today, about nine percent of the 2.3 million total population of Latvia are still engaged in agriculture, compared to the average of about 2.5 percent in the E.U. Close to two thirds of all farms in Latvia are similar size to Martuzane’s — using less than 50 acres, or owning up to 5 cows Just like 20 years ago, when Martuzane first started working on this farm, everything they produce is organic and free range. They smoke their own sausages and bacon, and make their own cheese. According to the Latvian Ministry of Agriculture, the number of certified organic farms like Martuzane’s have grown from 38 in 1998 to 4,105 in 2006 Martuzane thinks the fact that they are small and sell a diverse range of products has enabled them to weather this economic crisis better than bigger we can usually sell cheese,” she explains But it is the middle and large farmers that are among the hardest hit by the economic crisis right now. After Latvia’s entry into the E.U. in 2004, many small farmers decided to expand. Encouraged by increasing export opportunities, growing GPD and attractive investment loans, large farms increased by 25 percent from 2005 to 2007 About half of their investments were made into facilities and modern equipment As Kigelis watched many fellow farmers taking out loans and expanding their operations he felt that some of the growth was excessive “I feel like Latvians tried to attain in 10 years what Europeans were building for 40,” Alvis reflects He also recalls “Aizkraukles Banka” becoming especially aggressive in the countryside with their offers to seemingly attractive loans Karlov’s son — along with over 1,000 other primarily large farmers — blocked the streets of Riga with their tractors to protest government policies toward farmers The protest was one of the largest visible displays of outrage since the economic recession and forced the resignation of Martins Roze they countered that the country’s agricultural program was proposed by the Latvian government itself when Latvia joined the bloc Liga and Marite Martuzane think that joining the E.U regulations benefited small farmers by overwriting previous Latvian government policies that generated burdensome red tape and corruption and build expensive storage spaces just to milk two cows,” Liga notes Even though she enjoyed the most income from her work back in the Soviet era there was a significant caveat she explains: “I couldn’t buy anything with my money.” Now but I can buy anything I want and can get on the airplane to Portugal tomorrow!” Martuzane proudly explains and rattles off the names of 12 different countries she has visited in Europe since Latvia regained independence “I also feel more free,” she adds “It’s difficult to articulate how Liga and her partner Alvis are concerned that the economic crisis could get even worse this winter as a growing number of Latvians lose their jobs Liga can already tell people are preparing for a hard winter Pigs and potato seeds are sold out in her parish But Liga says that the majority of farmers like them who are small and relatively debt-free in Latvia “At the very least we know that we will always have enough to feed ourselves.” The photo has great use of color and contrast Patiesībā te ir vel daudz trakāk un cilvēki bariem vien bēgtu no šejienes bet nav kāpja par ko ielaist saknes citur …… Produced by Creative News Group LLC     ©2023 WNET.ORG     All rights reserved