Square of Latvia in Peru unveiled

RIGA - Latvian President Valdis Zatlers participated in the unveiling ofLatvia Square in the Peruvian capital city of Lima this Thursday.

The presidential press service told BNSthat the Latvian president visited the local authority in Limawhere The Square of the Republic of Latviawas unveiled in a ceremony Thursday. In an address to participants of theceremony Zatlers spoke about Latvian-Peruvian ties and prospects of stepping upthe exchange, especially emphasizing the important role of cultural and personalcontacts.

"Although Latviaand Peru areseparated by thousands of kilometers, this geographical obstacle has lostrelevance in the era of globalization. It is shown by the many Latvian touriststhat have been choosing Peru -- a country rich in outstanding cultural andhistorical monuments and unique heritage of ancient civilizations -- as thedestination of their vacation trips increasingly often in recent years. Latvianbusiness people, too, have already gotten familiar with Peruas a rapidly growing economy whose cooperation opportunities are far from beingexhausted," the Latvian president said.

The Latvian president indicated that the square as the symbol of Latviawould tell each visitor about the Baltic country and prompt people to visit the nation.

"The naming of the square after our country not only asserts the honorshown by the Peruvian nation to Latvia, but will also serve to reinforce mutualrelations between Latvia and Peru and help us to get to know each otherbetter," Zatlers said.