Dear students of the European Summer School,
I am really happy to welcome you here today, and I should say that this is the first time we have so many young people in this room. You come here for a short period of three to four weeks and this is one of the rare opportunities to meet you.
Thank you for coming to Latvia! It is very important for both you and us.
My relationship with the European Summer School goas a long way back. Long time ago, I myself was invited to deliver a speech at the European Summer School. I do not really remember the topic, but I do remember that I even made two appearances. My son also has long relationship with the European Summer School. He started as a student and then became one of the teachers. And my daughter has also made the same journey from student to teacher of the European Summer School.
I believe it is good that people from different countries come to Latvia and explore their homeland. You live abroad, therefore, it is important to appreciate and strengthen the ties of friendship and speak Latvian. If you live abroad, it is hard to talk Latvian to your parents, and your peers. But you need to. It is a great way to learn language nuances that your parents will not teach you.
It is really great to have you all here. I think this time around we have students from countries that are rarely represented at these European Summer School sessions. It means that Latvians are spreading across the world to new places. I hope to see new countries joining with time.
Do you think that the camp offers a healthy balance between learning, entertainment, friendship and sports? And it is alright to think that it does not. I remember how I went on one of such summer school trips to America, there were no summer programmes in Europe back then, and thought there was too much studying and not enough sports and entertainment. Those are my impressions. But, if you think there is a good balance, that is just perfect.
You are about to tour the Riga Castle and working quarters of the president. Along with several other big halls, this room is where the president conducts his official business. This, of course, is not where I do most of my working, I have quite a big, maybe not as lavish as these halls, office for that. But you will see. These rooms here are used for official meetings, for example, like the one with you right now, or negotiations and other big events.
(discussion) Dear friends, do you know what president does? – Yes, that is correct. Represents the country. You score 10 right away. What other functions does president have? – Fixes problems, that is correct too. Anything else? – Exactly. Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces! I have already met with National Armed Forces, the Land Force, and on Friday I will go out into the sea with Latvian Navy for the first. This will be a bit of a challenge for a person who gets a little nauseated when on board.
Represents the country. Fixes problems – tries to find political solutions to various issues. We have identified the issues and we try to find political tools to fix them. State president is one of many political actors who plays a part in political processes. President is also, as Satversme says, the Commander-in-Chief, but you should not take the title literally.
Since you already know what president’s functions are, you already know how the constitutional system runs!
Once again thank you for visiting It was a great pleasure to meet all of you here today.
