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On Wednesday, 18 November, a ceremonial sitting of the Saeima marking the 97th anniversary of the proclamation of the independence of the Republic of Latvia was held at the Saeima. “It is during times of peace when a state may build its security. First of all, it is built in the minds of the people. People will only defend what they consider worth fighting for. We must do what it takes to ensure that our people perceive our state as something worth defending,” said Ināra Mūrniece, Speaker of the Saeima, addressing the ceremonial meeting.
Speaker Mūrniece reminded those gathered that the highest form of self-organisation is a state. A state lives as long as its people possess the will to have their own state. “This will cannot be wiped out by external incursions, occupation or other challenges of the time,” she stressed. Ināra Mūrniece also expressed her pleasure with surge of patriotism as more and more sons of daughters of Latvia are joining the National Guard, and more and more schoolchildren are joining the National Guard Youth Organisation.
Speaker of the Saeima also addressed the current state of affairs in her speech, bitterly admitting that this year has been filled with dramatic developments. She also underlined that our sympathy for and solidarity with the victims of the Black Friday, 13 November, in Paris delivers a clear message: Europe will not be intimidated by terrorists and their threats. We will remain loyal to our values. The terrorists’ intent is to spread turmoil. Terror and aggression cannot be left unpunished, and that is now the common goal of Europe.
Ināra Mūrniece also spoke about Kremlin’s aggression in Ukraine emphasising that it revealed the geopolitical misconceptions of the well-meaning international community. “It was a tough lesson for the carefree Europe, indulged in its business-as-usual,” she told. Commenting the dramatic global events speaker said: “Our conviction that our membership in NATO and the European Union has been the right choice has grown. But we have to go one step further and ensure long-term presence of NATO forces in the Baltics.”
“This year we also learned that external and internal threats are equally serious in the context of the next generation warfare. The NATO excellence centre STRATCOM has enabled Latvian experts to engage in shaping the NATO security policy,” Speaker Mūrniece underlined.
Another focus of Speaker’s speech was domestic politics. “Sometimes states get sick. Sometimes they die. It happens from the inside. It is the division - political, economic and ethnic - that makes us weak. Internal quarrels among the political parties, political circus, mutual vendettas, - they bring nothing good to the self-proclaimed winners. People lose trust in politicians,” she pointed out.
Talking about the domestic politics, Speaker Mūrniece referred to Rainis who resented the wheeling-and-dealing side of politics: “dirty tricks never lead to pure results, they taint the results. If you pour dirty water into a clean bowl, the dirt sticks to its sides”. “These words serve as a reminder to us. Politicians must work for the benefit of all people who have temporarily given their mandate to them,” she noted.
On the domestic challenges, Speaker indicated that Latvia is on the threshold of a demographic crisis. “We still have not fully resolved the important issue of providing comprehensive support to families with children. Demographic policy must be smart and future-oriented,” said the Speaker and added that she hopes we will be able to improve it based on the experience of our Estonian neighbours.
Ināra Mūrniece concluded her speech by thanking all the Latvians living in Latvia and far away for each being a piece in the great puzzle of Latvia. She particularly thanked all the parents for “teaching their children to love Latvia, be a part of our community, and work together to make Latvia a better place”. Speaker Mūrniece also sent her best wishes to all the patriots and friends of Latvia here and around the world.
“Cheerful celebrations, and let the fire burn bright within you!” wished the Speaker.
Full text of the speech
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Saeima Press Service