In what may be her final trip to the United States as Latvia’s president, Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga will visit the nation’s capital and the state of Kentucky from May 1-6, her press office has announced.

Vīķe-Freiberga’s visit will begin with a half-hour May 1 meeting with U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney.

That evening, she will participate in an event marking the 85th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Latvia and the United States. During the ceremony, the president will present Latvian state honors to a number of individual, including former U.S. national security adviser Zbigniew Brzeziński and Karl Altau, managing director of the Joint Baltic American National Committee.

The president’s schedule for May 2 includes meetings with Democratic Rep. Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the House of Representatives; Democratic Sen. Harry Reid, the Senate’s majority leader, and Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte.

Vīķe-Freiberga remains in Washington, D.C., on May 3, meeting with representatives of The Atlantic Council and participating in an Internet videoconference with students from the council. That evening, she will participate in the 101st annual meeting of the American Jewish Committee, during which she will be presented the Madeline and Bruce Ramer Award for Diplomatic Excellence. Vīķe-Freiberga also is scheduled to address the meeting and to present the Order of Three Stars to David Harris, executive director of the AJC.

On May 4, the president heads west to Kentucky, home state of the U.S. ambassador to Latvia, Catherine Todd Bailey. Vīķe-Freiberga is expected to meet with Kentucky Gov. Ernie Fletcher in Frankfort as well as with Louisville business leaders.

On May 5, Vīķe-Freiberga is expected to tour the Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft in Louisville. The president also is scheduled to take in the 133rd running of the Kentucky Derby horse race at Churchill Downs.

Before returning to Latvia on May 6, Vīķe-Freiberga is scheduled to meet at 11:30 a.m. with members of the Latvian community in Louisville.

The Latvian parliament first elected Vīķe-Freiberga as president of Latvia in 1999 and re-elected her in 2003. Her term in office ends in July.

Latvia fell 2-1 to Switzerland in the team’s first preliminary round game April 28 in the 2007 International Ice Hockey Federation World Championship in Moscow.

The World Championship began April 27 and will end May 13 with the gold medal game.

The teams went scoreless in the first period, but 8 minutes and 25 seconds into the second period, Lauris Dārziņš slipped the puck past Swiss goalkeeper Jonas Hiller to give Latvia a 1-0 lead.  Miķelis Rēdlihs assisted on the play, according to the official Web site of the World Championship.

The Swiss returned the favor at 15:50 into the period when forward Adrian Wischer, assisted by Sandy Jeannin, scored against Latvian goalkeeper Sergejs Naumovs. Not quite three and a half minutes later, Wischer and Jeannin reversed roles and added the game-winning goal.

With about a half minute of play left in the third period, Latvia pulled Naumovs from the goal, adding an extra attacker to its offense in a failed attempt to even the score.

Over the three periods, the Swiss attempted more shots on goal, 26 than the Latvians, 16.

A total of 6,688 spectators watched the game, according to the World Championship Web site.

Latvia next goes up against Sweden in a game scheduled at 20:15 hours Moscow time April 30 in Arena Khodynka. Latvia will face Italy on May 2 in its final preliminary round game.

Meanwhile, oddsmakers are considering whether the squad will do well enough to avoid relegation. Latvia must score in the top three teams in its preliminary round group.

Latvia finished 10th overall in 2006 when the championship was played in Rīga, ninth overall in the 2005 championship in Austria and seventh overall in the 2004 championship in the Czech Republic.

After several years of comparatively low long-term emigration from Latvia, the number of people leaving the country in 2006 saw a noticeable upswing, according to the Central Statistical Bureau. Almost a third of emigrants left for Russia.

A total of 5,252 people left Latvia last year to live in other countries, the bureau announced April 26. At the same time, 2,801 people immigrated to Latvia, resulting in a net decline in population 2,451.

Using data from the Citizenship and Migration Board, the statistics bureau found that the top three destinations for emigrants were Russia (31.5 percent of those who left), Germany (9.3 percent) and Belarus (7.9 percent).

Russia also accounted for the greatest number of immigrants to Latvia, 26.9 percent. Lithuania was second with 10.6 percent and Germany was third with 8.9 percent.

While migration to Ireland has been a concern for social and political observers, data show that just 189 people left permanently for that country in 2006. (The number does not take into account those who temporarily relocated for reasons such as work.) At the same time, 122 people from Ireland immigrated permanently to Latvia.

The net loss of 2,451 residents of Latvia last year was a more than fourfold increase from 2005, when the net loss was just 564. That year, 2,450 people emigrated from Latvia. In 2001, by comparison, the net loss in population was 5,159.

The statistical bureau found that more than one in five (22 percent) of immigrants to Latvia last year were children to age 4.

“That testifies that in many cases children of Latvian people, who are working abroad, are given for care to family members who stayed in Latvia or other relatives,” the bureau said in a press release.

Overall, the bureau said, Latvia gained 615 youths to age 19, but lost 2,207 persons of working age and 365 retired persons.

The statistical bureau also found that slightly more men than women, 54.6 percent, immigrated to Latvia last year, but more women, 53.5 percent, emigrated.