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Welcome to Latvian London on-line!
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Here you will find footprints across London left by generations of Latvians who have made their home here and contributed to the life of London. The city’s links with Latvians go back to a time before the creation of the independent state of Latvia in 1918 (recognized by the UK soon afterwards), to a time when Latvian exiles were making their homes here fleeing persecution at home and working for the independence of their country. In the past century, the century of this School of Slavonic and East European Studies as well, Latvia, like the other Baltic States, has had a chequered career. For half of that time it was part of the Soviet Union – a state of affairs not officially recognised by the British government. Consequently there have been a succession of Embassies and Legations in London representing the Latvian nation, if not always the Latvian state. The waves of immigrants from Latvia who have integrated into the life of Britain and London have continued to arrive and make their contribution to this country since Latvia’s restoration of independence in 1991 and its accession to the EU and NATO in 2004.