Saeima of the Republic of Latvia

Delegations from three Baltic States and five Nordic Countries have confirmed their participation in events devoted to the 20^th anniversary of the de facto restoration of Latvia’s independence.

On 21 August, Irena Degutienė, Speaker of the Lithuanian parliament; Ene Ergma, Speaker of the Estonian parliament; Eero Heinaluoma, Speaker of the Finnish parliament; Per Westerberg, Speaker of the Swedish parliament; Thor Pedersen, Speaker of the Danish parliament; Ásta R. Jóhannesdóttir, Speaker of the Icelandic parliament; and Hans Brattestå, Secretary General of the Norwegian parliament, have planned to visit Riga at the invitation of Solvita Āboltiņa, Speaker of the Saeima

Speakers of the Baltic and Nordic parliaments will participate in the ceremonial laying of flowers at the Monument of Freedom and will attend the ceremonial concert in the Latvian National Theatre. In the afternoon, the foreign guests, together with members of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Latvia who 20 years ago made the historic decision, will plant commemorative trees in Jēkaba Square next to the main building of the Saeima.

Delegations of Nordic and Baltic parliaments will arrive in Latvia from Tallinn after attending ceremonial events devoted to the restoration of Estonia’s independence on 20 August.

On 21 August 1991 the Supreme Council of the Republic of Latvia adopted the Constitutional Law on the Statehood of the Republic of Latvia, thus restoring the de facto independence of Latvia and marking the country’s return to the family of democratic countries of Western Europe.

This law reinstated the Constitution of Latvia (Satversme) of 1922 with its values of Western democracy and the rule of law. With the adoption of the Constitutional Law, the laws of the USSR became null and void in Latvia. On the basis of the law of 21 August, other countries recognised the restoration of Latvia’s independence.

Saeima Press Service