Ambassador Teikmanis meets with Latvians in Bashkortostan

 

On 8 February during an official visit to Bashkortostan, Latvian Ambassador Andris Teikmanis met with representatives of the Latvian diaspora in Archangelsk.  

Since 1990 Latvian has been taught in an Archangelsk school side by side with the Russian, Bashkir, and English languages. Currently 54 pupils are learning Latvian. Ambassador Teikmanis observed a language class in action. He also met with representatives of the Archangelsk Latvian Association and of the Latvian diaspora, attended a performance by the Archangelsk children's folklore group Atbalss (Echo) and was introduced to the work of the local centre for Latvian culture.         

At Bashkir State University, Mr Teikmanis and students of humanities discussed issues related to the Latvian-Russian partnership in a European perspective.

The history of Bashkir Latvians dates back nearly 130 years. Latvians began to settle in this area in the second half of the 19^th century in search of a better life. In the 1920's, more than 8100 Latvian settlers lived here. The population census of 1989 indicated only 2000 Latvians remaining, however, the Latvian language can be heard in numerous villages in Bashkortostan.  

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