On 9 June 2022, the Parliamentary Secretary of the Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica, and the Ambassador-at-Large for the Diaspora, Elita Gavele, took part in the annual board meeting of the World Federation of Free Latvians (PBLA) being held in, Riga, Latvia from 9 to 11 June.
In her address to those present, Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica thanked the Chairman of the PBLA Board, Pēteris Blumbergs, the PBLA community and member organisations for their contribution and excellent cooperation, working shoulder-to-shoulder to advance Latvia’s interests through the years.
At the opening of the board meeting, the Parliamentary Secretary underlined the importance of cooperation. The adoption of the Diaspora Law and the work of the Diaspora Advisory Council have made it possible to set up a clear organisational and representational mechanism for us to combine our efforts and discuss any issue in cooperation with Latvians living in all the continents, Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica said.
Much has been accomplished and even more initiatives are underway, the Parliamentary Secretary noted. Our joint commitment is an increasingly closer cooperation both in traditional fields – language and culture – and in economy, science, work of international organisations, and lobbying the interests of the country, she added.
Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica also highlighted a number of concrete tasks for further work such as broad support for Ukraine, the strengthening of Latvia’s security, care for economic growth and well-being, bolstering democracy, as well as running for the seat of a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council.
The Parliamentary Secretary underlined that Latvia’s foreign policy was marked by three features: first, external security; second, democratic values and norms or the rule of law; and third, economic development. Externally stable and internally united Euro-Atlantic space shaped by a high level of domestic and external security, strong democracy, and growing economy constitutes the most favourable environment for Latvia’s foreign policy, Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica noted.
The Ambassador-at-Large for the Diaspora, Elita Gavele, mentioned that the Foreign Ministry was continuing cooperation with the University of Latvia Centre for Diaspora and Migration Research, and supported projects of diaspora organisations. The Ambassador emphasised that youth should be set as a priority: there is a large number of children and young people among the new diaspora, who will bring on into the future the Latvian identity, language, cultural heritage, and sense of belonging to Latvia.
This year will also see several events significant for the Latvian community abroad: the Latvian Song and Dance Festival in Minnesota, the Latvian Song Festival in Esslingen, the forum of Latvian professionals working in international organisations, and Business Breakfast in London and Frankfurt.
Background information
The World Federation of Free Latvians (PBLA) is the central umbrella organisation, which unites six principal federations of Latvian organisations across the globe: the European Latvian Association, the American Latvian Association, the Latvian National Federation in Canada, the Latvian Federation of Australia and New Zealand, the South American and Caribbean Latvian Association, and, and the Russian Latvian Congress.
The PBLA was established in 1956 and currently its main mission is to unite the Latvian community worldwide in continuing to strengthen Latvia’s independence and security, sustaining Latvian education and culture among the diaspora, and contributing to the promotion of Latvia’s development and growth.