President of Latvia Egils Levits: the future Latvia as a national state can only exist only in the Latvian language

On 7 July, the final working day of his presidency, President of Latvia Egils Levits visited the National Library of Latvia (NLL), where his inauguration took place in 2019, and delivered a message to the NLL Director Andris Vilks 'About the Latvian Language'.

'The National Library of Latvia is much more than a library. It is the core of the Latvian nation, because it is here that the knowledge and values that make up the Latvian nation are stored. The National Library of Latvia is not just a building. It is a representation of who we Latvians are and how we see the world. This point of view is different for every nation,' says E. Levits.

President of Latvia Egils Levits started his presidency (inauguration) in the National Library of Latvia and also chose it as one of the symbolic, significant places for Latvia to visit on the last day of his presidency.

Text of the message delivered by the President of Latvia Egils Levits

About the Latvian language.

Latvian is our mother tongue, the language of our heart and mind.

We live and think in Latvian.

Language defines our identity.

Language influences our worldview.

The word in the Latvian language was brought up by dainas and songs through generations. The printed word united the Latvian-speaking people. The emancipation of the Latvian language in the 19th century created national culture. Political thought representing Latvian interests was formulated in Latvian.

The Latvian spoken and printed word united us in a nation and a country. The borders of the Latvian state were drawn to encompass the Latvian-speaking regions. The Latvian state was founded to be a home for the Latvian people and the Latvian language.

Our democracy in the 21st century exists in the Latvian language.

Latvian is the common state language of the entire society. The language of democratic participation.

The language is our space for conversation and creativity, ideas. In Latvian we express and describe reality. We are constantly modernising the Latvian language as a language of culture, education and science, as a full part of the digital world.

The Constitution obliges us to ensure that the Latvian language exists throughout the centuries. A duty for both present and future generations. It is and remains the responsibility of every Latvian, every citizen of Latvia.

Future Latvia as a national state can exist only in the Latvian language. The Latvian language embodies our national will, the power of our statehood.

The Latvia of the future will exist as a national Latvia.

This goal is eternal and immutable.