There is no doubt about Latvia's stable growth - Mierina

RIGA - There is no doubt that Latvia is growing steadily, said Saeima Speaker Daiga Mierina (Greens/Farmers) on Saturday at a ceremonial session of the Saeima convened on the occasion of the Restoration of Independence Day of the Republic of Latvia.

"The greatest value of our country is with us - it is our people who selflessly do their daily work and carry the name of Latvia to the world. Together, we make Latvia what it is and what it will be," said the Speaker of the Saeima. She also stressed that, while celebrating the Restoration Independence Day, Latvia is a free country, its residents can speak Latvian freely, they can travel freely, the country is a member of the European Union (EU) and NATO.

The Speaker of the Saeima said that this year marks 20 years of Latvia's membership in the EU and NATO, and thanked those who have worked purposefully and persistently to strengthen Latvia's statehood through membership in these organisations. "We can compare the figures, the economic indicators, the standard of living and the quality of services then and now. There is no doubt that Latvia is growing steadily," said the Saeima Speaker, while underlining that Latvia is not lacking challenges, including in strengthening productivity, digitization and the effective use of artificial intelligence.

The Saeima Speaker highlighted Latvia's accession to NATO as one of the most important decisions since the restoration of Latvia's independence. Mierina said that membership of the Alliance had enabled Latvia to develop its armed forces and guaranteed the development of the country's level of defense in line with the security situation in the world and the region.

"We are committed to protecting our country from the first centimeter! Our security is guaranteed not only by our armed forces and weapons, but by comprehensive national defense and it is the responsibility of every resident to participate in this system," said Mierina, stressing the need to strengthen the information space with quality content.

Turning to Russia's aggression in Ukraine, the Saeima Speaker noted that this is not a regional challenge, but an issue of global security and stability, and Latvia's response to this aggression must also go beyond strengthening military defense and bolstering Ukraine's military capabilities.