The President of Latvia indicated that the celebration of the Reformation was a very significant event for Europe and Latvia, since Luther’s ideas transformed Europe and quickly reached the then-existing Livonia and Riga in the first half of the 16th century, which used them to develop and consolidate as the most important city of Northern Europe at that time.
“The Reformation was instrumental in promoting education among Latvians. It prompted the emergence of the Latvian literary language, the dissemination of printed materials and knowledge, and encouraged the publication of books having a significant influence on the culture of the Latvians and Estonians living in Livonia and strengthening the role of the Latvian language irreversibly,” stressed Raimonds Vējonis.
During his visit in Wittenberg, the President of Latvia met with Federal President of Germany Dr Frank Walter Steinmeier, and they discussed bilateral relations between Latvia and Germany and cooperation within the framework of the European Union and NATO.
“Latvia must play an active role in shaping the future of the European Union. For both Latvia and Germany, it is important that Europe is a values-based union in the future where freedom, democracy, and the rule of law reign,” underlined the President of Latvia.
During the meeting with the Federal President of Germany, security cooperation was also discussed, with a special focus on the NATO and EU measures in response to hybrid threats.