Esteemed Ms Melbārde! Honourable Mr Sprūds! Honourable Mr Sinka! Honourable Daugavas Vanagi and esteemed Daugavas Vanadzes! Supporters and friends! Ladies and gentlemen! This is a truly special and moving moment, as the Daugavas Vanagi celebrate their 80th anniversary. Eighty years ago, on 28 December 1945, this organisation was founded in Zedelgem, Belgium. The war had just ended. Many Latvians were forced into exile. Many found themselves as refugees or prisoners of war, yet the Latvian…
Esteemed Ms Melbārde! Honourable Mr Sprūds! Honourable Mr Sinka! Honourable Daugavas Vanagi and esteemed Daugavas Vanadzes! Supporters and friends! Ladies and gentlemen! This is a truly special and moving moment, as the Daugavas Vanagi celebrate their 80th anniversary. Eighty years ago, on 28 December 1945, this organisation was founded in Zedelgem, Belgium. The war had just ended. Many Latvians were forced into exile. Many found themselves as refugees or prisoners of war, yet the Latvian spirit, the understanding that it was necessary to organise, unite, and stand up for themselves and their country, remained alive. Both then and now, you have been guides to patriotism. You have stood for a free, safe, and independent Latvia. The Daugavas…
