Other events in Baltic States

In order to learn about the foundations of Latvia and history of the Latvian army, 500 foreign soldiers who participate in the U.S.-led international exercise "Operation Summer Shield" will visit the Latvian War Museum today, the museum informed LETA.

The Latvian War Museum will be visited by soldiers form the Michigan National Guard, the United States Navy, and Canadian, German, and Luxembourgish armed forces.

Such visits are going to take place regularly. Today, the museum's historians will emphasize the battles which took place in Latvia during World War I.

Soldiers of the Youth Guard as well as the National Armed Forces have regularly shown interest in exhibitions at the Latvian War Museum, however, and allied armed forces have been increasingly interested about the history of Latvia as well.

Last year, the Latvian War Museum was visited by 1,768 youth guards and 2,317 soldiers from Latvia and other countries.

The board of the Latvian Association of Victims of Political Repression organize several commemorative events today to mark the mass deportations of Latvian citizens to Siberia 66 years ago.

A procession from the Museum of Occupation to the Freedom Monument started at 12:35 a.m. today. A flower-laying ceremony and the ceremonial changing of the guards of honor will follow at 1 p.m., the association's chairman Gunars Resnais informed LETA.

Participating in the event will be Saeima deputies, the Latvian government, commanders of the National Armed Forces, as well as representatives from Estonian and Lithuanian associations in Latvia. After the ceremony, Resnais and Latvian President Andris Berzins will deliver speeches.

Victims of political repression and the rest of society are encouraged to participate in the event.