"The Belarusian embassy in Latvia is one of the main organizers of the anniversary's celebrations. A ceremony on the occasion will be held on November 11 with representatives of the entire 97,000-strong Belarusian community in attendance. The Belarusian community accounts for 3.9 percent of the Latvian population and is the largest in the Baltics."
"The Belarusian folk band Nadzeya will perform during the celebrations."
"In November 1999, a delegation of the Belarusian community in Latvia visited Belarus. The delegation discussed issues of humanitarian, social, and economic cooperation at meetings with Belarusian officials."
Source: BelaPAN, No. 169; Friday, November 10, 2000; 5:00 p.m.
"According to Mr. Markovich, the Daugavpils consular district embraces 11 territorial units of Eastern Latvia. The area's population is 580,000 people and some 60,000 of them are ethnic Belarusians. Daugavpils also has an association of Belarusians called Uzdym, which houses a national school."
"According to Mr. Markovich, the Belarusian community has proved its ability to influence the city authorities, to have a good contact with them. That is why the center is funded by the city. Latvian Belarusians residing in Daugapils were received by the Latvian president who the Belarusian consul said was pleasantly surprised that the city has such an association."
"Mr. Markovich said that the Belarusian consulate in Daugavpils has been in existence for 6 years and issues about 26,000 visas a year."
Source: BelaPAN, No. 21; Saturday, August 5, 2000; 4:50 p.m.
"The draft agreement has been prepared by the State Committee on Religion and National Affairs and approved by the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, of Justice, of Culture, and of Education; and the State Committee for the Press and the State Border Troops Committee."
"About 100,000 Belarusians live in Latvia at present, Aleksandr Tserkovny, official of the Belarusian embassy in Riga, told BelaPAN. There are 5 national and cultural associations of Belarusians in Riga, Daugavpils, Liepaja, and Ventspils; and the Nadzeya folk band, the Association of Belarusian Entrepreneurs in Latvia, the Belarusian Main School, and the newspaper Pramen in Riga."
"According to the 1989 census, 2,700 Latvians live in Belarus, including 900 people in the Vitebsk region close to the border with Latvia. Daugava, an association of Latvians in the Vitebsk region, has a Sunday school for the study of Latvian language, history, and culture."
Source: BelaPAN, No.1 ; Thursday, June 1, 2000; 12:10 a.m.
"Mr. Marinich said that about 100,000 ethnic Belarusians living in Latvia are interested in the preservation of the Belarusian language and culture, and maintaining ties with their historical motherland."
"Representatives of the Belarusian community in Latvia, who visited Minsk on November 23 and 24 [1999], met with Prime Minister Sergei Ling, Presidential Administration Chief Mikhail Myasnikovich, officials of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, of Culture, of Education, the State Committee in the Press, the State Committee on Religion and National Affairs, and the chief editors of the government newspapers Sovetskaya Belorussiya and Zvyazda."
"The newspaper Pramen', published by the Belarusian community in Riga, was presented to the Belarusian public at a party at the Belarusian Society of Friendship and Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries in Minsk on November 25. The newspaper has been coming out for 5 years."
"The Council of Ministers has directed the Ministry of Finance to allocate 760 million rubels for supporting the newspaper."
Source: BelaPAN, No. 110; Friday, November 26, 1999; 7:50 p.m.