Latvia denies itself

Riga's deputy mayor Ainārs Šlesers will host a summit for mayors from European countries and CIS states next July which coincides with the Russian pop festival Jaunais vilnis at the city's seaside resort of Jūrmala. The online newspaper Cita Diena finds this very un-Latvian: "Between 100 and 150 mayors from major cities all over Europe and Asia plan to attend. There will be more than 1,000 visitors and the city council is spending millions so that they get an impression of Latvia by seeing Jaunais vilnis. As we all know tastes differ, but there's no denying the fact that Jaunais vilnis is clearly not a Latvian event. … So the idea of holding an international event at the same time as Jaunais vilnis must be motivated by the desire to make the guests forget that they're in Latvia and that such a country even exists. If the organisers are really interested in boosting Latvia's image they should strive to convey to visitors the impression that they are in Latvia, where Latvians live with their own language and culture."  

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