Distinguished dean
of the diplomatic corps,
Excellencies, Ladies and gentlemen,
I extend my warmest welcome to you all and convey my best wishes for a successful, happy and peaceful new year.
Unfortunately, the year 2005 has begun on a tragic note, in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake and tsunami in Southeast Asia. I express my deepest sympathies and solidarity to the representatives of those countries that experienced the loss of life and property. I also thank those countries that offered support and assistance to Latvians who were in the region at the time.
The recovery efforts from this cataclysm are likely to continue for several years to come, and will require a massive, coordinated worldwide response. Within its limited means, Latvia has provided aid for assisting the tsunami victims. I fear that the international community has learned some bitter lessons from this tragedy. The world still lacks the means to predict such events, as well as a workable warning and evacuation system.
Just a few days ago, Northern Europe was struck by another natural disaster, albeit one of a much smaller scale than that which hit Southeast Asia. This calamity took the form of a severe storm. According to environmental specialists, such extreme climactic events will become ever more frequent in Europe as a result of global warming.
Other parts of the world are also being adversely affected by climate changes that we, as humans, are bringing onto ourselves through a reckless disregard for our environment. I urge the governments of the world to pay particular attention to the growing problem of environmental degradation and to increasing energy consumption that shows no sign of abating.
The last year has been replete with events that have been both disconcerting and encouraging. New occurrences of violence and man’ inhumanity to man have broken out in the Darfur region of Sudan, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, in Iraq and elsewhere.
Yet there have also been heartening developments. The election of a new Palestinian leader has opened new avenues for dialogue with Israel, and raised hopes for at last achieving an enduring peace in the Middle East. The fragile cessation of hostilities achieved between the Sudani government and the country’s southern-based rebels is a welcome development, and provides hope that a similar negotiated settlement may arise in the conflict-ridden Darfur region.
The successful presidential elections in Afghanistan last year provided the first opportunity for the Afghan people to express their will at the ballot box. This represents an important step toward the establishment of a civil society, and is to be followed by parliamentary elections later this year. In Iraq, where parliamentary elections are also scheduled later this month, the political situation is much more volatile, but we can only hope that the elections do take place. The newly elected representatives will then have to work at developing a government that enjoys widespread legitimacy, the restoration of civil order and an abatement in the violence that has rocked the country. In support of these efforts, Latvia remains committed to maintaining its military contingent as part of the international peacekeeping forces in Iraq.
Our common dream of world peace still remains an elusive one. Latvia will continue to take part in peacekeeping operations wherever they are required, and stands ready to contribute to new peacemaking initiatives, be they in the Middle East, the Caucasus or elsewhere.
Excellencies, Ladies and gentlemen,
This year the United Nations will celebrate its 60^th anniversary. Unfortunately, the challenge of establishing a collective security system for preventing the occurrence of widescale killings, systematic rapes and other crimes against humanity remains as acute as it was in 1945. Another pressing issue concerns the reform of the Security Council, which has been on the discussion table for the past 12 years. Although none of the proposed reform models is beyond reproach, Latvia believes that with sufficient political will, a workable agreement on a reformed Security Council could be attained during this anniversary year.
We are pleased to note that in Ukraine, a serious political crisis has been averted with the election of President Viktor Yushchenko. We admire the courage and tenacity of the Ukrainian people in standing up for their right to obtain fair elections without falsification and interference. Latvia is ready to offer Ukraine wholehearted support in all its efforts to consolidate freedom, protect democracy and ensure the rule of law, as well as to reform and to restructure its economy.
This incoming year 2005 is deeply significant for Latvia in that it marks a number of important anniversaries. First, these very days of January mark the 100^th anniversary of the Revolution of 1905, which lasted a whole year but was brutally suppressed by Tsarist forces. Nevertheless, that revolution played an important role in heightening in our own people a resolve to fight for their rights and laid the foundations for the creation of an independent Latvian state 13 years later, in 1918.
In May of this year, Latvia will be celebrating its first anniversary as a full member State of the European Union and the NATO Alliance. For Latvia, accession to these two international bodies signified the final, concluding chapter of a tragedy that began in 1939, when Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union secretly agreed to divide Central and Eastern Europe amongst themselves. It signified the end of the immoral and outdated division of Europe into artificial spheres of influence. And it marked the return of my country to an extended European family of free and democratic nations.
As the President of a new member of the European Union, I congratulate the Netherlands on a successful presidency, during which accession talks were concluded with Bulgaria and Romania, and during which a consensus was reached regarding the beginning of accession talks with Turkey and Croatia. Latvia views the continuing expansion of the European Union as a priority, along with the adoption of the new European constitution. The implementation of the Lisbon Strategy for rendering Europe economically more competitive remains on our common agenda as well.
After pegging the lat to the euro on January 1^st of this year, Latvia plans to adopt the euro as its currency in 2008. As to the Schengen visa regime, Latvia foresees acceding to it by the year 2007.
We hope that a political agreement will be reached during the current presidency of Luxembourg regarding the EU’s financial perspective for the years 2007-2013. Latvia is seriously concerned about the current ceilings regarding the allocation of cohesion funds, under which Latvia, as the least prosperous of the EU member states, would receive the least support per capita. At a time when we are earnestly striving to attain the same standard of living as the more developed EU member countries, such ceilings place my country at an unfair disadvantage.
Another priority for Latvia is strengthening a Common Foreign and Security Policy for Europe, and to ensure that Europe speaks with one voice as much as this is possible. The substantial EU assistance provided for assistance to the tsunami victims in Southeast Asia, the important role of the EU in monitoring the recent presidential elections in Ukraine, the takeover of NATO military peacekeeping operations in Bosnia-Herzegovina, all these are just some examples of Europeans’ ability to work successfully together.
The European Union has also made great strides in developing its military capacities under a European Security and Defence Policy. Latvia has begun preparations for creating an EU Battle Group by the year 2009 or 2010 together with Lithuania, Poland, Germany and Slovakia. Nevertheless, Latvia continues to view NATO as a necessary and complementary organization for maintaining Europe’s security, and for dealing with such security threats as the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, the outbreak of regional conflicts and the spread of terrorism.
The United States and Canada continue to be our important allies and partners with whom strong links must be maintained and cultivated. It is to be hoped that the upcoming visit by President Bush to Europe in February next will serve to strengthen the Transatlantic partnership between Europe and North America. Latvia is also ready to contribute to the NATO Response Force and believes that the resources and functions between NATO’s Response Forces and the EU’s Battle Groups should be wisely allocated to ensure their maximum efficiency and avoid a needless duplication in functions. My country is eager to host the next NATO summit in 2006 or 2007 and hopes that a positive decision will be made to the effect later this year.
Ladies and gentlemen,

2005.gada 14.janvārī Rīgas pilī rīkotajā pieņemšanā par godu Jaunajam gadam: Latvijas Valsts prezidente Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga uzrunā ārvalstu diplomātisko korpusu Foto: Normunds Mežiņš, A.F.I.