Today the regular meeting of the Presidents of the three Baltic States took place in Riga Castle. The main areas discussed during the meeting covered the regional energy industry issues and the future of the European Union, EU neighbourhood policy, the situation of migration and labour market in the Baltic States as well as the creation of a large capacity academic internet network in the Baltic States. After the meeting Vaira Vike-Freiberga, Toomas Hendrik Ilves and Valdas Adamkus opened the Estonian-Latvian, Latvian-Lithuanian and Lithuanian-Latvian online dictionaries that will be freely available on the internet.
In her address President Vaira Vike-Freiberga thanked the people who had worked on creating the dictionaries. She added that every Latvian would probably be happy to learn at least some phrases in the neighbouring languages that would promote mutual respect and understanding. The President stressed the personal significance of the dictionaries for her as she will now be able to study the Estonian regilaul and Lithuanian dainos in the original rather than with the intermediation of other languages.
In the conclusion the President wished that in the future the Baltic States would develop their joint academic network and could have the access to all the reserves of knowledge in other places of Europe and provide the access to the electronic data base of the Baltic States to them.
Academician Janis Stradins presented Ciceron Awards to all the three Presidents for the promotion of the opportunities and achievements of the Baltic States in the national and international scale.
When thanking for the award the President of Latvia expressed her admiration and gratitude to the President of Estonia Toomas Hendrik Ilves that he had for many years been facilitating the co-operation among the scholars of the Baltic nations in the Association for the Advancement of Baltic Studies in North America and especially as the editor of the Association's scientific journal – the Journal of Baltic Studies" that among other issues could refute the propaganda publications that were coming at that time from the Soviet Union. She wished the President of Estonian success in his further presidency and in promoting the recognition of his country, and the neighbouring countries along with that, in the world.
Further Vaira Vike-Freiberga stressed that the President of Lithuania Valdas Adamkus is the person who has been as a bridge between the North America and Europe thanks to his large experience that had also allowed him to participate as a generator of ideas in the long and difficult process as a result of which the three Baltic States could join the NATO Alliance. The President of Latvia also appreciated Valdas Adamkus' interest, energy and skills in the intermediation and supporting of the issues that concern the road of Ukraine and other countries to establishing further democracy and stability. At the conclusion Vaira Vike-Freiberga wished Valdas Adamkus many more years of successful work.
President's Chancery
