The Republic of Latvia was founded in 1918. It has been continuously recognized as a state by other countries since 1920 despite occupations by the Soviet Union (1940-1941, 1945-1991) and Nazi Germany (1941-1945). On August 21, 1991, Latvia broke free and declared the restoration of its de facto independence. Today, Latvians enjoy a democratic parliamentary republic.

A central country of the Baltic States (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania), Latvia can be found in the northeastern corner of Europe, on the east coast of the Baltic Sea. Lowland plains and rolling hills mark the landscape. There are thousands of rivers and lakes in Latvia, with most of the country less than 100 metres above sea level.

“It’s a perfect time to participate in a congress in a former Soviet-dominated country,” said Irgens. “The Congress represents an exciting time in history as Latvia becomes more and more Western oriented after its democratic restoration.”

Since the restoration of independence in 1991, Latvia has pursued full economic and political integration into European and world structures. A key foreign policy priority is active and constructive membership in NATO and European Union.

CIOR participants have recognized the Latvian Reserve Officer Association since Latvia was a Partnership for Peace country prior to its acceptance into NATO. Dr. Benita Feldmane, the president of the Latvian ROA, is a regular attendee at CIOR meetings.

“Visitors will fall in love with the country as they experience the melding of old and new cultures,” said Feldmane. “The people and country represent a beautiful melting pot of Baltic, Russian and German influences.”

The rich cultural landscape has also been described as “metaphysical and elusive” by the Latvian poet Imants Ziedonis.  “Latvians live along the line of confrontation between East and West, occupying a space diffuse in the political, demographic and philosophical sense, a space where the assessment and evaluation of our nation by the participants tends to be quite diplomatically evasive,” said Ziedonis, referring to a country in the midst of change. Congress delegates can witness this elusive culture first hand in Riga, where nearly one third of the country’s population lives.

The site of the summer congress, Riga is the oldest still existing Latvian medieval city, founded in 1201. The value of city's cultural and historical significance has been recognized by the fact that its old city centre has been included in UNESCO's list of the world's most important cultural and natural sites.  

For more information about the summer congress, visit www.cior.net

* Maj Knabe is a Public Affairs Officer in the US Air Force Reserve and serves on CIOR’s PA Committee