Latvia's Minister of Foreign Affairs opens a travelling exhibition "National Minorities in Latvia: Then and Now"

At 12:30 on 8 September 2005, a travelling exhibition National Minorities in Latvia: Then and Now, in Latvian and English, prepared on the initiative and under the guidance of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Artis Pabriks, is opening at the Saeima (Latvia's parliament).

The exposition reflects the ethnographic situation in Latvia's territory in the course of centuries and shows the development, over time, of the traditional minorities in Latvia. It brings to light the minority policy of pre-war Latvia   and shows the composition of the Latvian community of citizens until the beginning of the Soviet occupation in 1940.  The exhibition shows the role of the historical minorities in the political, social, and cultural spheres in the period between the two world wars. The exposition reveals the changes that have occurred as the result of Latvia's occupation by two major powers and also displays the current situation in the areas of naturalisation and societal integration.

The exhibition at the Saeima will be open for viewing from 8 to 22 September. Before travelling abroad, it will also be shown at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with a goal of raising awareness of the position of national minorities. 

The project was prepared by the Deputy Director of the Latvian War Museum in charge of the research work, Juris Ciganovs, and the Director of Latvia's Naturalisation Board, the Head of the Office of International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Latvia, Ilmars Mezs, in cooperation with the Director of the Latvian Naturalization Board, Mrs. Eizenija Aldermane. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has provided the financial support for the project.

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