Documentary traces Latvia's accession to the EU and NATO

Take note – story published 3 years ago

Latvian Television (LTV) has prepared another in its series of short historical documentary films, 'The Keys' complete with English-language subtitles, looking at important moments and subjects in Latvian history.

This time the starting point is 2004, a year of double significance for the country as Latvia joined both the European Union and NATO. 

Accession to both organizations was the result of long and often fraught negotiations, public debates and political wrangles but was to prove an important milestone in the history of the state and one that gave it a new sense of confidence.

The documentary traces how these events came to pass and ponders the impact they have right up to the present day, drawing not only upon historical facts but personal anecdotes that remind us just how revolutionary things like the Schengen Zone and free movement with EU borders is compared to what went before.

According to LTV "The Keys" series tells of the most important or "key" events, personalities and turning points in the history of the Latvian state from 1918 to the present. The purpose is to reveal each selected event from an unusual point of view, as if "unlocking the door" to lesser known and therefore particularly intriguing facts. 

"Such an exploratory approach, bypassing the usual stereotypes of presenting history, will allow viewers to perceive what is known to others and to better understand what has happened in the context of today's experience," says LTV.

The show was made by VFS Films, a long-time partner of Latvian Television, and was hosted by Mārtiņš Ķibilds. This is the final episode in the 50-part series. We hope you have found the videos enjoyable.

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