Latvia’s 5th Anniversary of NATO membership is marked in the centre of Riga

On March 29, 2004 Latvia became a fully fledged NATO member state, therefore guaranteeing its security. Five years have been passed since that historical date, therefore to mark the 5th anniversary of Latvia’s membership into NATO Latvian Transatlantic organisation in cooperation with Latvian Ministry of Defence, Latvian National Armed Forces (NAF) and the support of Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and JSC “Laima” on March 29, 2009, from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM near the monument of Freedom organised a public information campaign, where people were invited to take part.

Despite the rainy and chilly weather conditions, people expressed rather high interests about NATO, Latvia’s membership into NATO and Latvian NAF as well as about military equipment, exposed by the Latvian NAF including a military vehicle Humvee.

The information campaign started at 10:00 AM with the quiz on NATO and Latvian NAF, where people could try their knowledge and get valuable gifts like books, DVDs, “Laima” sweets, NATO souvenirs etc. At 1:30 PM 104 volunteers, among whom where 90 representatives of the “Jaunsardze” (“New Guard”) movement, made a massive inscription “LV 5 NATO”, dedicated to Latvia’s 5 years in NATO. Afterwards private first class soldier Raimonds Bergmanis announced the start of a competition, where young people had to make a wall with an inscription LV 5 NATO out of 1,5 kg weight cardboard boxes. The winners of the competition were awarded with the campaign T-shirts by the President of the Republic of Latvia Valdis Zatlers, who together with the Defence Minister Imants Lieģis and other state and military officials attended the event. The campaign was finished with the performance of the orchestra of the Latvian NAF.

More pictures from the event