The foreign ministers of Lithuania, Latvia, Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and the Czech Republic called for an EU-wide ban on communist symbols in 2010, urging the EU " to criminalize the approval, denial or belittling of communist crimes " and stating that " the denial of such crimes should be treated the same way as the denial of the Holocaust and must be banned by law ".

In Russia, as well as other former Soviet Union states, including Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, other former or current communist states, Albania, Angola, Benin, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Croatia, Cuba, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, East Germany, Kosovo, Laos, Republic of Macedonia, Mongolia, Montenegro, Mozambique, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Tanzania and Yemen, Children's Day is celebrated on June 1.

In Latvia, communist organizations were officially banned and a major part of the party there had broken away in 1990 and formed the Latvian Social Democratic Party.

In Hungary, Latvia, Moldova, Lithuania and Poland, communist symbols are banned.

During the Great Patriotic War in 1941-1945 he had been working to prepare the party and the Soviet cadres to transform Latvia to a communist state.

Pelše wrote some works on the history of the CPSU and the party, on the history of the revolutionary movement in Latvia, anti-capitalists nationalists, the socialist and communist construction in the country.

After the declaration on the restoration of its full independence on August 21, 1991, Latvia became a member of the United Nations on September 17, 1991, and is a signatory to a number of UN organizations and other international agreements, including Council of Europe, CERCO, International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, International Civil Aviation Organization, International Atomic Energy Agency, UNESCO, UNICEF, International Criminal Court, the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

Latvia welcomes further cooperation and integration with NATO, European Union, and other Western organizations.

SSE has founded sister organizations in the Baltic states: the SSE Riga in Riga, Latvia, and the SSE Russia in St Petersburg, Russia.

While think tanks are not widespread in Latvia, as opposed to single issue advocacy organizations, there are several noticeable institutions in the Latvian think tank landscape:

Tautas padome was formed on November 17, 1918 as a result of merging two councils of Latvian organizations: the Temporary National Council of Latvia ( Latvijas Pagaidu Nacionala padome or LPNP ) and the Democratic Bloc ( Demokratiskais bloks ).

This resurgence created several political organizations devoted to increased autonomy or independence for Latvia.

After the dissolution of the Soviet Union the society became international, with organizations in post-Soviet states: Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Latvia, and Georgia, as well as in Italy ( since April 20, 2004 ).

In general, the official government policy of Latvia and Estonia is not to push the issue, but the territories ' return is supported by some, usually marginal, organizations inside these countries, such as the Abrenian Union in Latvia.

Capp's parents were both natives of Latvia whose families had migrated to New Haven in the 1880s.

The eastern part of Poland, Latvia, Estonia, Finland and part of Romania were recognized as parts of the Soviet sphere of influence, with Lithuania added in a second secret protocol in September 1939.

After Stalin declared that he was going to " solve the Baltic problem ", by June 1940, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia were merged into the Soviet Union, after repressions and actions therein brought about the deaths of over 160, 000 citizens of these states.

The physiography of Latvia and its neighboring areas was formed, to a large degree, during the Quaternary period and the Pleistocene ice age, when soil and debris were pushed by glaciers into mounds and hills.

The dangers from a lack of cooperation were brought home to Latvians in November 1990, when a polymer complex in Navapolatsk, Belarus, accidentally spilled 128 tons of cyanide derivatives into the Daugava River with no warning to downstream users in Latvia.

Those who settled in Latvia during Soviet occupation, with exception of those who did so subsequent to retirement from Soviet Army, or were employees, informers, agents or safehouse keepers of the KGB, or of the security services, intelligence services or other special services of some other foreign state, can obtain Latvian citizenship via naturalization.

As a transitional clause, the Latvian law allows dual citizenship for those who were forced to leave Latvia during the Soviet or Nazi occupation and adopted another citizenship while away from Latvia.

Most notably, there was also a secret protocol to the pact, revealed only after Germany's defeat in 1945, according to which Romania, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Finland were divided into German and Soviet " spheres of influence ".

In the north, Finland, Estonia and Latvia were assigned to the Soviet sphere.

The Baltic States of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania were given no choice but to sign a so-called Pact of defence and mutual assistance which permitted the Soviet Union to station troops in them.

Moving in the wake of German merchants who were now following the old trading routes of the Vikings, a monk named Meinhard landed at the mouth of the Daugava river in present-day Latvia in 1180 and was made bishop in 1186.

In return the Oeselians raided the territories in Latvia that were under German rule the following spring.

The Soviet Union and Germany would split Poland if an invasion were to occur and Latvia, Estonia and Finland were defined as falling within the Soviet sphere of influence.

A bilateral sanitary convention was concluded between the governments of Latvia and Poland on 7 July 1922, for which ratifications were exchanged on 7 April 1925.

A convention was signed between the governments of Germany and Latvia on 9 July 1926, for which ratifications were exchanged on 6 July 1927.

While the treaty was practically obsolete before the end of the year, it did provide some relief to the Bolsheviks, who were tied up in fighting the Russian Civil War, and it affirmed the independence of Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Belarus, Ukraine, and Lithuania.

Some sources claim that in the 13th century there were actual historic people called Wends or Vends living as far as northern Latvia ( east of the Baltic Sea ) around the city of Wenden.

In the 13th century there was indeed a people called Wends or Vends living as far as northern Latvia around the city of Wenden and it is not known if they were indeed Slavs as their name suggests.

Rudolf Lange, commander of Einsatzkommando 2 in Latvia, wrote that his orders were " a radical solution of the Jewish problem through the execution of all Jews ".

Under the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, ethnic Russians were sent to colonize captured territory such as Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, while local languages, religions and customs were banned or suppressed.

He held that Czechoslovakia, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Great Britain and Canada were not in default, despite the fact only Canada had paid its debts, and Soviet Russia was in default.

: Albania, Andorra, Argentina, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Canada ( French-speaking ), Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia ( comma used officially, but both forms are in use elsewhere ), Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Estonia, Faroes, Finland, France, Germany, Georgia, Greece, Greenland, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kirgistan, Latvia, Lebanon, Lithuania, Luxembourg ( uses both marks officially ), Macau ( in Portuguese text ), Macedonia, Moldova, Mongolia, Morocco, Netherlands, Norway, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa ( officially ), Spain, Sweden, Switzerland ( when the amount is not in Swiss francs ), Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam.

Dievturi, which resumed operating in Latvia just before restoration of independence in 1990, is the only officially recognized pagan religion and had around 600 followers.

In 1960, Latvia officially reported a total of 4, 210 raccoon dog were hunted.

The Soviet-era flag was officially replaced in 1990, when the national Flag of Latvia was reintroduced, and its use at public events is now banned.

Latvia was occupied on June 17, 1940 by Red Army troops and officially annexed to the Soviet Union on August 5, 1940.

The Latvian national Coat of Arms was formed after the proclamation of an independent Republic of Latvia on November 18, 1918, and was officially adopted on June 16, 1921.

During the Independent Republic of Latvia ( 1918 – 1940 ) Riga was officially recognized as the capital of Latvia ( 1931 ), with the Riga City Council governing it.

Later that same year, on 14 September, the party was officially renamed the Democratic Labour Party of Latvia (, LDDP ).