The U.S. Senate has adopted a resolution calling on Russia to issue “a clear and unambiguous statement” admitting and condemning the Soviet Union’s 50-year occupation of the Baltic countries.

The resolution was introduced May 19 by Sen. Gordon H. Smith (R-Ore.) and adopted the same day by unanimous consent. It replaced a similar resolution, introduced by Smith one week earlier, that had been referred to the Senate’s Committee on Foreign Relations.

Smith is co-chair of the Senate’s Baltic Freedom Caucus. The resolution was co-sponsored by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Sen. Richard Durbin (D-Ill.), who is the other Baltic caucus co-chair.

A version of the resolution was introduced in the House of Representatives on April 12, but has seen no action since it was referred to the Committee on International Relations.

The Senate resolution notes that the Russian government has not acknowledged the illegal annexation and occupation of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Doing so, the resolution suggests, would improve relations between the Baltics and Russia and would “strengthen stability in the region.”

The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has denied that the Soviet Union occupied the Baltic countries, arguing that a state of war did not exist between the U.S.S.R. and the Baltics and that Soviet troops were invited into Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania in 1940.

The Senate on May 19 also adopted a resolution, sponsored by Durbin, that expresses its continued support for construction of a Victims of Communism Memorial in Washington, D.C. Construction of the memorial is expected to begin this fall. The memorial could be dedicated in late summer or early fall of 2006, according to the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation.

The American Latvian Association has elected a new chairperson and has voiced its support of a resolution proposed in Congress asking Russia to acknowledge the Soviet occupation of the Baltic states.

During its annual meeting May 13-15 in Kalamazoo, Mich., the ALA elected Mārtiņš Duhms as its new chairperson, replacing Dace Copeland, who had decided not to seek another term.

Duhms, 58, was born in a Displaced Persons camp in Germany and immigrated with his parents to Boston, Mass. He holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Tufts University and a master’s degree in business management from Harvard University. Duhms helped found two companies, leading one for 14 years as its president.

According to his biography, Duhms retired 10 years ago. In 1999, he and his wife visited Latvia as part of the ALA-organized “Sveika, dzimtene” tour, after which he vowed to renew his involvement in the Latvian-American community. For the past four years, he led ALA’s fundraising office. Two years ago, he also took over the membership office.

Duhms told ALA delegates that among the association’s goals should be its self-preservation. The association should assure its financial stability and boost its membership by appealing to recent immigrants from Latvia as well as those Latvian-Americans who no longer speak Latvian but still have an interest in their ancestry.

Delegates to the ALA congress also voiced their support for the congressional resolution, H.Cons.Res. 128, introduced April 12 in the House of Representatives by Rep. John Shimkus (R-Ill.). Although the resolution has seen no action since being referred to the House Committee on International Relations, it now has 19 co-sponsors.

The resolution calls on Russia to “issue a clear and unambiguous statement of admission and condemnation of the illegal occupation and annexation by the Soviet Union from 1940 to 1991 of the Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.”

A similar resolution was introduced May 12 in the U.S. Senate by Sen. Gordon H. Smith (R-Ore.). That resolution has been referred to the Senate’s Committee on Foreign Relations.

During the ALA congress, delegates also approved a 2005 budget of USD 747,800.

The ALA has 5,637 members, according to an association press release. A total of 86 delegates participated in the congress, representing 47 different Latvian-American societies, congregations and other organizations, as well as individual members.

The Latvian Foundation has announced a dozen winners of small grants and plans for marking its 35th anniversary with a November meeting in Rīga.

The 35th anniversary annual meeting is scheduled Nov. 12 in Rīga. The foundation, formed in 1970 as an exile organization based in Canada and the United States, now has three of its board members living in the capital city of independent Latvia.

Any foundation member considering attending the meeting is asked to contact Chairperson Aija Abene by e-mail at aijaabens@gmail.com.

The foundation’s board of directors, meeting April 16 in Toronto, approved 12 of 23 proposals for grants of USD 2,000 or less. They include:

• Publication of the second volume of work by Latvian-American exile poet and cultural historian Jānis Krēsliņš.
• Production of a compact disc by the folk music ensemble Sudrabavots of Washington, D.C.
• Acquisition of teaching materials for the Stariņš Kindergarten and preschool of Chicago.
• Production of a compact disc by the bagpipe and percussion group Auļi of Rīga.
• Support for the Saulgrieži summer high school in Latvia.
• Production of a compact disc based on a cycle of folk songs from Latgale province in Latvia.
• Support for the 10th folklore festival in the Sēlija region of Zemgale province.
• Printing of the book Madonas novada kordziedāšanas vēstures II daļa (1940-1990), a history of choir singing in Madona, Latvia.
• Enlargement of the collection in the Aknīste city library in Latvia.
• Support for the folklore summer camp Garā pupa.
• Support for “Tautas pedagoģija ikdienā,” a collection of educational activities for families with children, proposed by Līga Vimbsone.
• Support for a project examining the country tradition of vakarēšana (spending time together in the evenings), proposed by Maruta Krastiņa.

The board of directors also decided to present eight medium and three large projects—those seeking from USD 2,001 to USD 8,000 in funding—to a vote of the foundation’s membership. Balloting will take place in the fall before the November meeting.

In all, the foundation received 42 requests for funding in the 2005 program.

The foundation also has issued a plea for members to update postal and e-mail addresses. Abens, the chairperson, said the foundation is seeking addresses for the following members: Ruta Apsa-Abakuka, Richards Argals, Artūrs Barons, Jānis Belaglazovs, Marta Bergholds, Erna Bērziņa, Ludmila Bērziņš, Rolands Bērziņš, Emilija Bērziņš, Georgs Blumentals, Gvīdo Bočka, Jānis Bolis, Ilga Briedis, Andrejs Brinģis, Edmunds Brokāns, Daina Brumelis, Inga Brūveris, Laimdota Brūveris, Imants J. Bungs, Inta Butkus, Ivars Cenne, Jēkabs Cīrulis, Marcis Daiga, Daina Dreifelda, Gunta Dreifelde, Olga Drigants, Maija Dzenis, Anita Dzirne, Anna Eiduks, Tamāra Ešmits, Antonijs Francis, Māra Galens, Astra Galiņš, Jānis Geriņš, Pēteris Graube, Alfreds Grīnbergs, Austra Gulēna, Laima Gulēna, Dace Jagars Klimane, Jānis Komsars, Ilmārs Jankovskis, Ritvaldis Jankus, Pēteris Krūmiņš, Egons Kubuliņš, Mintauts Kukainis, Valdis R. Kukainis, Pauls Kupchs, Ernests Lācis, Māris Lācis, Ivars Leja, Edgars Liepaskalns, Gunārs V. Lucāns, Ruta Lucis, Alberts Lucs, Inta Maleja, Andris Matthews, Uldis Mednis, Ilze Mednis, Ivars Melngailis, Normunds Mieriņš, Pēteris Miķelsons, Jānis Mintiks, Rita Moore, Zintis Muižnieks, Jordis Niedra-Denisovs, Pauls Olte, Oskars Ozols, Andris Palejs, Olģerts Pavlovskis, Helga Petrashevich, Vilnis Plostiņš, Zinta Pone, Imants Purvs, Ilze Rēķis, Alberts Rieksts, Mirdza Ritums, Laila Robiņš, Ainars Rodiņš, Vilis Roga, Ella Rolavs, Magdalene I. Rozentāls, Ilze Ruke, Otto V. Rullis, Dzidra Rutenbergs, Margots Salenieks, Ēriks Savics, Sandra Sebre, Valda A. Siksna, Ilze Sile, Daina Siliņš, Maretta Staprāns, Andris Šteinbachs, Ivars Štelmachers, Silvija Stots, Edvīns Stots Jr., Zubīte Streipa-Glass, Vincents Šulcs, Ilga Zemzars Svechs, Edgars Šmits, Arnolds Ticmanis, Silvija Ūdris, Anna Ulis, Alberts Upeslācis, Jānis Vanags, Valdis Vilks, Jānis Zalīte, Imants Zeidlickis, Richards Zemnickis and Jānis Zibiņš, as well as representatives of 8th Latvian Song Festival in the United States, Gaismas Pils, the Jānis Grāvlejs Memorial Fund, Greenwood Printers, the Latvian Cultural Institute, LFK-Copenhagen, Sirdsapziņas Cietumnieki #1, Sirdsapziņas Cietumnieki #2 and the Windsor Latvian Society.