Latvians abroad
Latvians abroad
Latvians abroad
No fewer than 87 diaspora collectives will participate in this year's Song and Dance Festival, including 12 from the United States, five from Australia, and two from Brazil; there will be collectives from Japan and Ukraine, but most, of course, will come from Europe.
With a three-day festival living in tents in the Central England Straumēni grasslands, 4,500 Latvians and other visitors have celebrated Midsummer (Līgo, Jāņi) in Britain. The Bērzes Strazdu festival takes place for the 11th time and this year was the largest celebration outside Latvia.
From the neighboring countries of Lithuania and Estonia to far-flung Thailand and South Korea, this year Latvian communities around the world will celebrate Jāņi (Midsummer) in at least 50 events in 21 countries, according to information collected by diaspora media Latviesi.com.
Doctor of Communication Science, Mārtiņš Kaprāns, recently published some fascinating research into the lives of Latvians living in the United Kingdom.
Latvians resident in Canada will be able to take advantage of a 'mobile passport station' in June for the issuance of passports and eID cards.
It was a big reunion with lots of anecdotes and funny stories: More than 100 former students, teachers and friends of the former Latvian Gynasium in Münster recently came together in Rīga to chat, joke and reminisce about their old school days.
On August 17 2022, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs hosted a Forum of Professionals Working for International Organisations.
The north-eastern Estonian region of Ida-Viru is dropping efforts to attract tourists from Russia and will instead be promoting its attractions to Latvians, reports Estonia's ERR News.
Latvia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued official guidance to Latvian nationals still in
Ukraine amid the ongoing Russian invasion. It is reproduced below:
Ukraine amid the ongoing Russian invasion. It is reproduced below:
Latvia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has unveiled a new resource for members of the Latvian diaspora around the world: a dedicated Facebook page.
On 13 October 2021 in Canberra, an accreditation ceremony took place for the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Latvia to the Commonwealth of Australia, Marģers Krams.
Latvian diaspora figure Jānis Kukainis has passed away, according to a tweet by Latvian President Egils Levits on September 16.
On 31 July 2021, the Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica, and the Ambassador-at-Large for the Diaspora, Elita Gavele, took part in a meeting of members of the Union of European Latvians (ELA) to mark its 70th anniversary, the Ministry said in a release.
A remote summer school course for diaspora youth at the University of Latvia (LU) has come to an end. More than 40 students from different countries participated and learned about the Latvian language and culture, Latvian Radio reported July 28.
Members of the Latvian diaspora community around the world are invited to take part in an online seminar hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the World Association of Free Latvians (PBLA).
Last year, over a thousand people returned to live in Latvia through the support provided by remigration officers, Latvian Radio reported February 26.
On 5 February 2021, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs hosted an online presentation of the most recent research by the Centre for the Diaspora and Migration Studies of the University of Latvia (LU DMPC), “Attracting the young members of the diaspora to education institutions in Latvia”, with participation of its authors, Dr. Rita Kaša and Dr. Olga Cara.
On January 21, the first European Latvian networking event took place, which brought together 75 entrepreneurs and active Latvian nationals from all over Europe.
A year ago there were more than 370 thousand Latvian citizens living outside Latvia, according to data from the University of Latvia. A plan has been developed to strengthen their relationship with Latvia during the period 2021-23, the Foreign Ministry said January 14.
Rīga region in 2020 saw the return of 260 remigrants who plan to stay in Latvia for good, Rīga planning region representative Inese Ozoliņa said January 12.
One in ten members of the Latvian expat community currently living in the United Kingdom has considered emigrating during the COVID-19 pandemic according to an online survey conducted by Mārtiņš Kaprāns, a researcher at the Institute of Philosophy and Sociology of the University of Latvia.
Joe Biden's victory in the US presidential election is good news for Latvia, said Pēteris Blumbergs, president of the Latvian American Association (ALA) in an interview with Latvian Radio.
Miks Vizbulis, a Latvian resident in England, has opened his second small cafe, despite the pandemic, at the end of September, Latvian Television reported September 29.
On 21 September 2020, Elita Gavele took up the post of Ambassador-at-Large for the Diaspora at Latvia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, according to an official statement.
To mark the 75th anniversary of the United Nations and the 29th anniversary of Latvia’s accession to the United Nations, an exhibition titled “Baltic Appeal to the United Nations” and jointly produced by Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Museum of the Occupation of Latvia, the National Archives of Latvia and the Latvian National Library was unveiled on 18 September 2020.
During the COVID-19 crisis, residents are returning to Latvia after many years of absence. In some regions of Latvia, data shows that there were even more remigrants in this half-year than a year ago, Latvian Radio reported September 14.
Poetry reading event "Sirds uz perona" (Heart on a Platform), held within the framework of Poetry Days festival, this year had an unprecedented response from the Latvian diaspora. Latvians and friends in fourteen countries took to train stations and elsewhere to read poetry, sing, connect.
This summer, many Latvians living abroad have already visited Latvia, and many are still planning to do so. However, the requirement of self-isolation when arriving in Latvia from the United Kingdom is not the only issue - many have expired travel documents, Latvian Television reported August 27.
Latvian Inese Freiberga, for thirteen years, has brought joy and aesthetic pleasure with her floral bouquets and compositions to the German town of Münster, LSM reported August 9.
New research by a leading academic into Latvia's diaspora community and patterns of emigration and immigration shows that Latvia's diaspora numbers around half a million members, compared to just under two million people living in Latvia itself.
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