On 17 January 2020, Warsaw is hosting an international research conference devoted to the centenary of Latvian-Polish relations, “Poland-Latvia, 100 years of diplomatic and military relations”. The participants focused on the relations between Latvia and Poland from a centenary perspective, the close cooperation of the two countries in the Latvian War of Independence, with special attention given to the liberation of Latgale, where military support for Latvia was rendered by Polish troops.
The conference takes place under the auspices of the Latvian and Polish Presidents, which imparts a special significance to the event. On 11 September 2019, during an official visit to Poland, the President of Latvia, Egils Levits, praised the close historical links between the two countries. “One hundred years ago, Poland helped Latvia at a very crucial moment to expel the invading Red Army from Latvia. At least 500 Polish soldiers died on the fields of battle. Latvia highly appreciates this historic contribution by Poland to the existence of our state, stressed the President of Latvia.
The battles for the liberation of Latgale are a very important chapter of Latvia’s history, the concluding stage in the Latvian War of Independence. This campaign was one of the finest examples of close cooperation between the two countries, with Latvian and Polish soldiers shoulder-to-shoulder winning victories of epic importance. Today, Poland is a close ally to Latvia and contributes considerably to the strengthening of security in Latvia and the region as a whole.
Large-scale events are being held in Latvia and Poland to mark the centenary of the liberation of Latgale. The conference, “Poland-Latvia, 100 years of diplomatic and military relations”, as well as the open-air photography exhibition on display in the Łazienki Park in Warsaw, devoted to the relations between the two countries from 1918 to 1939, are part of the Latvian Centenary’s public diplomacy programme in Poland. The Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs highly values the contribution of its cooperation partners – museums, archives, higher education institutions, and historians – to making the festive events happen.
A number of events devoted to the one hundredth anniversary of battles for the liberation of Latgale are underway in Latvia, organised by the Ministry of Defence and the National Armed Forces. For further information, see https://www.mod.gov.lv/lv/zinas/ar-svinigiem-pasakumiem-atzimes-latgales-atbrivosanas-simtgadi (in Latvian).
Background information
The research conference “Poland-Latvia, 100 years of diplomatic and military relations” is taking place on 17 January 2020 in Warsaw, in the Palace on the Isle of the Royal Łazienki Museum (Muzeum Łazienki Królewskie, Pałac na Wyspie). The conference has been organised by the Embassy of Latvia in Poland in association with Dr. Hist. Professor Ēriks Jēkabsons from the University of Latvia and the Royal Łazienki Museum. Reports will be delivered by historians from the University of Latvia and the Latvian War Museum, the Institute of History and the Institute of Political Studies of the Polish Academy of Sciences, the University of Bialystok, and the Royal Łazienki Museum.