"It is a great pleasure for me to be in Saldus today and to celebrate the unity of the Baltic nations together with our Lithuanian friends, brothers, and sisters," said Daiga Mieriņa, Speaker of the Saeima, addressing the participants of the Baltic Unity Day ceremony in Saldus on Saturday, 23 September.

Speaker Mieriņa thanked Māris Zusts, Mayor of Saldus, and all the townspeople for the warm welcome and the splendid celebration, as well as our Lithuanian brothers and sisters, not only for coming together, but also for their unwavering support and for standing shoulder to shoulder with us.

"The Baltic Unity Day is truly to be celebrated. As a testament to our unity. As a testament to the linguistic and cultural diversity of the Baltic peoples, and also as a testament to the values and goals that this day honours and stands for," stressed Mieriņa.

"Many hundreds of years ago, in the Battle of Saule, the Samogitians and Semigallians jointly fought against the combined forces of the Crusaders. They fought against the presumed rights of foreign nations willing to determine our destiny. It was the first time our peoples demonstrated the power of cooperation and unity against an external enemy. We have fought together against foreign aggression and for our freedom long after the Battle of Saule as well. Shoulder to shoulder, with and without weapons in our hands," said the Speaker of the Saeima.

"Together, we are doing a lot. We can be proud of our joint accomplishments to strengthen the independence and security of our countries and to promote economic growth. But today, as we celebrate the Baltic Unity Day, let this be an incentive for each of us not only to rejoice in our achievements, but also to reinforce our cooperation day after day, to look for new gateways to bolster our common strength through closer cooperation in all areas and at all levels," stated Mieriņa.

During the celebration, the Speaker of the Saeima also met with Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen, Speaker of the Lithuanian Seimas, to discuss issues of bilateral cooperation and strengthening regional security. Speaker Čmilytė-Nielsen is the first foreign official met by Daiga Mieriņa since taking office as Speaker of the Saeima.

On the Baltic Unity Day, Speaker Mieriņa also met with the leadership of Saldus Town Council and visited the Janis Rozentāls Saldus History and Art Museum.

The Baltic Unity Day is celebrated every year in a town in Latvia or Lithuania. It commemorates the Battle of Saule fought on 22 September 1236, when the joint Samogitian and Semigallian forces defeated the Livonian Brothers of the Sword. In 2000, the Latvian Saeima and the Lithuanian Seimas designated the day of the Battle of Saule—22 September—as an official day of remembrance.

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Saeima Press Service