President Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga today met in Rīga with about 50 Latvian youth, including 20 participants in this year’s “Sveika, Latvija!” program sponsored by the American Latvian Association.

The president told the students that anyone who views themself as Latvian is important to Latvia, according to the president’s press service.

This year’s “Sveika, Latvija!” trip is the ninth such excursion for Latvian-American youth. The students met with youth from Ainaži and Kuldīga.