Latvia at 90
On Latvia’s 90th anniversary of statehood, guests joined Ambassador Indulis Berzins and his wife Mrs Ilze Gelnere for a music concert and a special appearance by the much-admired former Latvian President Vaira Vike-Freiberga. In her speech Mrs Vike-Freiberga reminded guests of Britain’s role in securing Latvia’s independence. She told the audience that Latvia had been reborn out of the ashes of soviet-style communism and added that the current financial crisis did not signify the end of market capitalism, but rather a rebalancing of values. “We need to learn that excess does not signify success,” she said.