February 22, Golden Year 3 (2006) Latvia’s President, the Honorable Dr. Vaira Vike-Freiberga ♥♥♥♥, took the courage to apologize for her country’s behavior during World War II. During a reception hosted by the President of Israel, the Honorable Mr. Moshe Katsav, she said: “I regret the participation of Latvians in the extermination of the Jews during World War II.” This statement cleared the doubts of the Latvian Jewish people of the country’s commitment to democracy.

According to the Baltic Times, she said: “Regrettably, there were people in Latvia who took part in the Nazi campaign to annihilate the Jewish population in Europe. But there were also a number of brave souls, of whom about 500 have been officially documented in Latvia, who risked their own lives and the lives of their loved ones to hide and protect their Jewish friends, neighbors and acquaintances, as well as complete strangers.”

Dr. Vaira Vike-Freiberga was born on December 1, 1937 in Riga, the Latvian capital. She is the first female President of Latvia and was elected in 1999 and re-elected in 2003. She lived in refugee camps during her childhood days in Germany and was later moved to Morocco before settling down in Canada at the age of 16. She then successfully established her academic career as professor of psychology, specializing in the relationship between thought and language. Her scholarly work had earned her numerous awards from academic and Latvian organizations worldwide and she was renowned for her collections of Latvian folk songs. In 1998, she returned to Latvia to head the Latvian Institute, a non-profit government organization whose goal is to raise the profile of Latvia and Latvians around the world, which she most successfully accomplished.

Latvia is a small Baltic nation of 2.3 million people, which was once economically and politically uncertain. Under her wise leadership, it has now has been transformed into a democratic country that enjoys political stability and strong economic growth. President Viki-Freiberga played a prominent role in the country’s entry into the EU in May 2004. Since then, combating corruption problems and uplifting the Latvian legislation to European standards have become the country’s priorities.   

In response to environmental issues, the government has set precedence to improve drinking water quality, the sewage system, household and hazardous waste management, as well as the reduction of air pollution, which will enhance the living quality of Latvians.

In this new Golden Era, Latvia’s President, the Honorable Dr. Vaira Vike-Freiberga, has shown a wonderful example of courageous, humble and peace-making leadership. We wish her more and more success in her efforts to build a prosperous and peaceful nation.

References:

http://www.mosnews.com/news/2006/02/22/freiberga.shtml https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/lg.html http://www.dfat.gov.au/geo/latvia/latvia_country_brief.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaira-Vike_Freiberga

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