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An increasingly large number of Latvian citizens live abroad and will continue living there in the future. Thus, in order to create a cohesive nation, we have to look beyond our borders towards the diaspora. This is one of the main conclusions reached on 30 September at the seminar on Representing Diaspora Interests in Their Homelands, stressed Ilmārs Latkovskis, Chairman of the Social Cohesion Committee of the Saeima.

Ireland, like Latvia, pays a lot of attention to the issue of the large number of expatriates. Half of the Irish diaspora have a university degree. This means that it is not only people with low qualifications whom poverty is forcing to leave. The diaspora of Latvia’s northern neighbour Estonia is growing, which means that our situation is not unique and should not be perceived negatively. As for France, its parliament will soon have MPs representing the diaspora, pointed out Latkovskis with reference to what foreign guests have said.

The Estonian parliament also emphasises the role that summer camps for diaspora children play in preserving the nation. In Latvia’s case, these are joint summer camps for children from the diaspora and from Latvia. This should be taken into account by the government when it drafts the state budget for next year and by our country’s integration policy makers, the Chairman of the Committee noted, stressing that children and youths from the diaspora and those from Latvia have a common future, state and nation.

When discussing ways to represent the interests of the diaspora, Ojārs Ēriks Kalniņš, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, emphasised that citizens are the capital resource of our nation, and the fact that not all of them live in Latvia is an advantage. Latvians abroad have achieved a lot in their countries of residence; they are leaders in business, science and culture, and they have knowledge, experience and contacts that we can use in Latvia, said Kalniņš.

Latvia has tens of diplomatic missions, and our country is represented by many diplomats and honorary consuls. However, on our own we cannot communicate on a global scale, and that is why each Latvian abroad is an ambassador of our state, stated Kalniņš. He also added that patriotism goes far beyond geographical borders.

In today’s globalised world we can speak about a global Latvian, said the Chairman of the Committee; he also stressed that considering Latvia’s demographic situation, our country’s goal is to create circumstances that will enable expatriates who wish to return to do so.



Photos from the event are available at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/saeima/sets/72157636043553024/
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Saeima Press Service