We defended the Latvian language despite international pressure - former Minister of Culture 0 10

Karina Petersone recalls a telling episode. During the August coup, Gorbunov delivered a bold speech, urging society to trust only the legitimate authority of Latvia, after which he received threats from Russian military forces. It was an extremely tense moment. The then political leader of Latvia, Gorbunov, took a weapon out of the safe and placed it on the table, saying, "I will not surrender without a fight." Petersone emphasizes that, in addition to songs, bonfires, and barricades, the struggle for independence also took place at the diplomatic level. "We have just celebrated 35 years of the barricades, and it is clear that the romantic image of these events is being strengthened, but at that time, behind the scenes, there was a huge international management effort. Without the support of foreign states and journalists, it would not have ended so successfully." She reminds us of the harsh truth: "After May 4, the proclamation of independence, no country in the world supported it — until August, when Iceland was the first to do so. Everyone said — negotiate with Gorbachev."

International pressure on the language issue

The language issue throughout the period of restoring independence was one of the most challenging for Latvia — it was necessary to balance between national ideas and harsh international realities. "Now I hear — why are we transitioning to the Latvian language in schools so late? I believe that we have done quite a lot on the language issue and laid the foundation — the status of the state language, which was also not easy. While serving as Minister of Culture and Integration, I met with representatives of the OSCE and the Council of Europe. I will say that we did almost the maximum because there was no international understanding and support for more radical steps."