President of Lithuania Gitanas Nausėda and Prime Minister Inga Ruginene congratulated the Old Believers and Orthodox Christians of Lithuania on Christmas, which they celebrate on January 7. What about the authorities of Latvia?
"Dear ones, may the Christmas miracle bloom warmly and cozily in your families and communities, and may the light of Faith, Hope, and Love accompany each of you," said Lithuania's leader Gitanas Nausėda in a greeting released on Wednesday by the presidential office.
"May the joy of Christmas and the spirit of unity fill your hearts and homes. May our collective efforts bring forth a year full of wisdom and pride for Lithuania," Nausėda wished his fellow countrymen.
As for the president of Latvia, Edgars Rinkēvičs, and the prime minister, Evika Siliņa, it seems they did not acknowledge the main holiday of one of the largest religious communities in the country.
The portal bb.lv examined social media and official websites related to Rinkēvičs and Siliņa. The latest messages from Siliņa include the signing of the Paris Declaration on security guarantees for Ukraine. Rinkēvičs last posted online to state that there is no alternative to the United States in the area of security guarantees.
Meanwhile, according to data from the Ministry of Justice of Latvia, Orthodox Christians are one of the largest religious groups in the republic, making up about 13% of the country's population.
Surveys by SKDS in the past have shown that about one in four residents of Latvia identifies as Orthodox (25–26%).
This means that without greetings from the country's leadership, between 200,000 and 500,000 people were left unacknowledged.
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