Direct Speech, EU – Baltic States, Forum, Innovations, Latvia, Technology

Excellences!

Ladies and Gentlemen!

I welcome all of you here today. I thank Ambassador Elferts for his introduction.

We are meeting today at our “Castle of Light”. This truly special building was the center of Europe for the last six months.

It is also the symbol of joint achievements – the symbol of what Latvians, living in different parts of the world, can accomplish together.

It was over 150 years ago when one of the fathers’ of our nation – Krišjānis Valdemārs, said, “Latvji, brauciet jūriņā!” Latvians, take to the sea!

Then it was a time of national awakening and this was a call for emancipation.  A plea to become independent, both – politically and economically.

But it was also a plea to learn new skills, gain new experiences and bring them back to our Latvia.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Latvians have been living, and many continue to live all over the world. Contribution of diaspora to the transformation of Latvian economy, since regaining independence, has been instrumental to the overall development of our country.

Since becoming a member state of the European Union, many Latvians have used their right of free movement to study and work abroad.  It is our duty to engage them and include you into Latvia’s development.

When I am abroad, I like to meet with our diaspora community.  I am proud of their achievements.   Your success is our success – because together we make up the Latvian nation.

Even from my own family’s perspective – my niece was able to use her rights as an EU citizen and study in the United Kingdom.  After receiving her education, she was able to find work in her specialty and continues to develop her career. I am convinced she will be able to gain experience and later share her knowledge with her compatriots.  And I hope she will use her knowledge and help our country to prosper.

There are many positives from having Latvians throughout the world.  They gain experience, knowledge, education, language and business skills, as well as capital.

And they invest their knowledge and experience in the development of their homeland. Only by engaging our diaspora, we can live in a prosperous and dynamic Latvia.

Dear friends of Latvia,

Today, for the second time, Latvians from all around the world have come together here, in Riga. You have come in order to discuss and search for better ways how to prosper in a global market.

Latvia as a young market economy has faced all stages of the economic cycle. Now, after twenty five years, we are familiar with both – rapid growth and tough decline.

We have learnt from our mistakes and become smarter and stronger. We have managed to make painful adjustments and implement structural reforms.

We are among fastest growing EU economies. According to the latest forecast of the European Commission, Latvia’s economy will grow by 2.3% this year and by 3.2% next year.

Our steady targeted work has gained recognition internationally.

Nevertheless, the well-being of Latvia is closely linked to export, and creation of competitive and innovative products. In current conditions it has become crucial to diversify export markets and avoid external economic vulnerability.

Growth trends of the global economy are shifting into the direction of markets, not traditional for Latvia. Also the regional geopolitical situation affects economic development.

Therefore we need to be open, flexible and innovative in order to succeed in the current economic environment.

Dear friends,

And here we see the role for our nationals and those, who are, or feel Latvians in their hearts. Many of you are highly successful professionals, working in world famous international companies.

Your global experience, world views and knowledge will be crucial in advancing new business skills here.

I am very happy to see so many high level professionals from the fields of media, medical engineering, smart technologies, IT and others. These are fields where, with joint efforts, Latvia can become a truly global economic player.

Ladies and gentlemen,

I invite you to play even greater role in building our common Latvia and help us celebrate our first centenary – so our country – Latvia can have many more to come.

Thank you for your attention and I wish us all very open and fruitful debates!