Independent Latvia Between the Two World Wars: View from Abroad

On June 29, 2018, panel discussion Independent Latvia Between the Two World Wars: View from Abroad took place at one of the sites of the  LAMPA Festival, just outside of the medieval Cesis Castle (Cesis, Latvia). The event dedicated to the three historical persons who played different but very significant roles in the life of Latvian Republic within the period between the first and the second world wars. Discussion was organized by KRES Poliskola and the Baltic Center for Educational and Academic Development.

The panel speakers included Vladimir Kara-Murza, Russian historian and journalist, deputy chairman of the Open Russia Movement, who spoke about his great-granduncle, the first ambassador of the Republic of Latvia to the United Kingdom, George Bisenieks; Oleg Troyanovsky, director of international programs at the Baltic Center for Educational and Academic Development, who spoke about his grandfather, the first ambassador of the USSR to the United States, Alexander Troyanovsky; and Lauris Liepa, attorney at law, managing partner of the Latvian law firm COBALT, who spoke about his grandmother, dentist Anna Ose. Lively conversation was moderated the Executive Director of KRES Poliskola, Pavel Ivlev.

During the panel discussion participants reflected on events and developments that were taking place in the between-war independent Latvia, the role of their famous relatives in the life of the young republic and their influence to political events in the region. Experts in the field of European history and foreign policy also touched upon the relationships between Latvia and other European countries, primarily Germany and Russia.

The purpose of the discussion was to increase interest in researching of political and intellectual history of the Republic of Latvia. KRES Poliskola not only acted as the organizer of the event, but took an active part in the discussion via its executive director.

The festival itself and the discussion in particular, seem to be extremely valuable in the context of today’s democratic Latvia relationships with the bordering authoritarian Putin’s Russia. The  presentations by main speakers was followed by a lively Q&A session, where contemporary international trends, aggressive foreign policy of Kremlin and the role of Latvia in the defense of democratic values were discussed, among many others, by the member of the Seim of Latvia, Sergei Potapkin, and the Chairman of the Latvian chapter of the international anticorruption organization Transparency International, Valdis Liepins.

The full video record of the panel discussion is offered to your attention.