A new guidebook aims to help Latvians living abroad cope with questions about repatriation, about sending their children to study in Latvia, or about just visiting the homeland, a government agency has announced.

The Secretariat of the Special Assignments Minister for Social Integration announced Dec. 16 that Ceļvedis latviešiem ārzemēs (Guidebook for Latvians Abroad) has been published thanks in part to the efforts of a number of Latvians who are either living abroad or have repatriated in recent years.

“Cooperation with Latvians living abroad is one of priorities of social integration policy,” Special Assignments Minister Ainars Latkovskis said in a press release, adding that Latvians living abroad play an important role in forming the nation’s image abroad. The guidebook is seen as one of a number of ways that cooperation could be made stronger.

Working with the World Federation of Free Latvians (Pasaules brīvo latviešu apvienība), the social integration secretariat has undertaken a number of projects over the past year to bolster Latvian organizations’ work abroad. (Latvians Online also has received funding from the secretariat.)

The guidebook’s initial press run is 1,000 copies, but the publication also is available as a downloadable Adobe Acrobat PDF file from the secretariat’s Web site. Three versions, in English, Latvian and Russian, are available.

Kristīne Vāgnere, director of the secretariat, said in a press release that the guidebook will be expanded in future and regularly updated. Already planned is a section providing contact information for Latvian organizations abroad. The information could especially help Latvians who are now leaving their homeland to study or work abroad.