Latvia has reached a milestone in its annual ranking in the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) prepared by the anti-graft organization Transparency International, but has a long way to go if it wants to catch up with its neighbor to the north.

CPI data released Sept. 23 in Berlin show Latvia’s overall ranking has dropped, but its index score has improved. Out of 180 countries in the 2008 survey, Latvia ranks 52nd, slipping from its ranking of 51st last year.

But the 2008 index score of 5.0 means that Latvia for the first time is not viewed as having a serious problem with corruption. Last year, Latvia had a score of 4.8.

The index uses a combination of 13 research surveys to measure perception of public sector corruption. Nations are given a score from zero, meaning the country is viewed as highly corrupt, to 10, signifying highly clean. Countries that score below five are considered to have a serious corruption problem in the public sector.

Ten years ago, Latvia ranked 71st in the CPI with a score of 2.7, sharing its spot with Pakistan.

Latvia’s northern neighbor, Estonia, ranks 27th in the 2008 index with a score of 6.6, while Lithuania ranks 58th with a score of 4.6.

Topping the 2008 rankings are Denmark, Sweden and New Zealand, each with a score of 9.3. The United States is 18th with a score of 7.3, putting it on par with Japan and Belgium. Russia, with a score of 2.1, ranks 147th and is placed alongside Syria, Bangladesh and Kenya.

(Corrected 23 SEP 2008)

Latvians in America are to be thanked for their work in defending the homeland’s interests in the United States and should remain active in explaining the nation’s history, President Valdis Zatlers told an audience that viewed the documentary film The Soviet Story.

The film, written and directed by Edvīns Šnore, was screened Sept. 21 in the Scandinavia House in New York. The screening was the film’s U.S. premiere. The documentary argues that, before and during World War II, Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union collaborated on learning methods of repression and mass killing. Russian officials have denounced the documentary.

Zatlers said the film will give a much larger audience a sense of the unmerciful repressions by the Soviet regime, according to a spokesperson for the president.

“Since the beginning of summer, when I saw the film for the first time, the world has changed,” Zatlers said. “And the warning at the end of the film, to not allow the rebirth of totalitarian ideology, has taken on new meaning.”

The events in Georgia, the president added, is reason to more clearly recognize the interests and values of the European Union and the NATO defense alliance, of which Latvia is a member.

“We have to continue to be able to and to know how to protect our statehood—our people’s values, way of life, traditions and dreams,” Zatlers said.

The president is on a weeklong visit to the United States to attend the 63rd session of the U.N. General Assembly, to meet with the leaders of several other nations and to deliver two speeches at the U.N. and at Columbia University.

President Valdis Zatlers will spend Sept. 20-28 in the United States attending the United Nations, meeting with world leaders and spending some time with the Latvian community in New York. Among highlights of his visit will be speeches at Columbia University and to the U.N. General Assembly, according to the president’s press office.

After arriving in the U.S., the president is scheduled to attend the Sept. 21 American premiere of the documentary film The Soviet Story. The screening is set for 11 a.m. in the Scandinavia House, 58 Park Ave., New York. A reception with the film’s director, Edvīns Šnore, as well as with Zatlers, will follow the screening. Admission is USD 20 and can be bought at the door.

The work week begins with a round table discussion, “Africa’s Development Needs,” led by Rwandan President Paul Kagame and Finnish President Tarja Halonen at the United Nations. The program begins at 9 a.m. in the General Assembly Hall of U.N. Headquarters, First Avenue at 46th Street, New York.

Later in the day, Zatlers will discuss Latvia’s views on global affairs at the Clinton Global Initiative in 1501 International Affairs Building, The European Institute of Columbia University, 420 West 118th St., New York. The program begins at 5 p.m .. A reception at the “Latvia Today” photography exhibition on the fourth floor of IAB will follow the event. The president also is expected to participate in a discussion with teachers and students about the situation in Georgia.

The opening of the 63rd session of the U.N. General Assembly is on the president’s agenda for Tuesday, Sept. 23. During the day, Zatlers also is to meet with Turkish President Abdullah Gul and will attend an event honoring soldiers who have died in Iraq. Latvia has lost three troops in Iraq. In the evening, Zatlers is to attend a dinner for world leaders hosted by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

On Wednesday, Sept. 24, Zatlers takes the podium to address the U.N. General Assembly. Last year, the president discussed the U.N.‘s peacekeeping role, focusing especially on the question of Kosovo. Also on the calendar for Zatlers are meetings with Mexican President Felipe Calderon, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan and Maltese Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi.

In the evening, Zatlers will participate in the opening of this year’s Clinton Global Initiative, a non-partisan effort started in 2005 by former U.S. President Bill Clinton.

The schedule for Thursday, Sept. 25, includes participation in the U.S. plenary “Millennium Development Goals” and a round table discussion on environmental sustainability. Zatlers also is to meet with Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa and visit the NASDAQ stock market.

As the work weeks winds down, Zatlers on Sept. 26 has other meetings scheduled with world leaders, including Serbian President Boris Tadić and President Emomali Rahmon of Tajikistan.