Latvia Celebrates Centenary of Independence

By Yi Whan-woo

Peteris Vaivars

Latvia celebrated its 100th independence anniversary at the Grand Hyatt Seoul in Hannam-dong, Nov. 16, drawing hundreds of dignitaries including heads of diplomatic missions and Korean politicians.

Latvian Ambassador to Korea Peteris Vaivars said the visits of President Raimonds Vejonis and other Latvian leaders to Korea, along with the centenary of independence, made this year special for bilateral relations.

The envoy suggested the Korean head of state should visit his country soon.

'This year of 2018 was indeed a very special year for Latvia, Korea and for the whole world. The PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games and summit diplomacy of President Moon Jae-in led to peace and cooperation on the Korean Peninsula,' Ambassador Vaivars said during a reception.

He said the Latvian president was among the first world leaders to confirm his participation in the Olympic Games opening ceremony in February.

He said a summit, along with bilateral visits of three Latvian officials - Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economics Arvils Aseradens, Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics and Defense Minister Bergmanis - helped bolster the Seoul-Riga dialogue in a constructive manner

'In this regard, I am very confident that in its famous pali-pali style, Korea will find a way to remove itself from the shortlist of countries whose head of state, head of government and ministers have never visited Latvia for a bilateral visit,' Vaivars said.

'We are looking forward to welcoming Korean politicians in Latvia any time.'

In a separate speech posted on the embassy's website, he said Latvia and Korea shared 'common values of democracy, protection of human rights and the understanding of rule-based international order and peace.

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He underscored Latvia's potential in the global economy, pointing out that the world was driven by the data-driven economics, digital transformation and artificial intelligence and that Latvia could cope with this as one of world's top 10 fastest internet providers.

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