Still flinching from the sound of a door slamming - Minister Abu Meri spoke about his childhood during the war 0 20

Health Minister Hosam Abu Meri shared his personal experience of living in a war zone during the program "Dienas personība" on TV24. According to the politician, who was born in Lebanon, war accompanied a significant part of his childhood. He recounted that he lived for 18 years in a country where hostilities were ongoing, and he knows from personal experience what it means to hear explosions and seek shelter.

"I can tell you: I spent eighteen years of my life in a country where there was war. I myself ran to hide in the basement, I heard those explosions," Abu Meri said.

He admitted that the effects of the psychological trauma he experienced lingered for many years after moving to Latvia. "For the first ten years of my life in Latvia, when someone slammed a door very hard, I immediately had a subconscious association with an explosion. I couldn't stand it," noted the former minister.

In his opinion, under current conditions, the government needs to pay more attention to preparing society for various emergencies. He believes that schools and kindergartens should play a special role in this process. "In Latvia, we need to work together with municipalities and the Ministry of Education to prepare teachers and kindergarten educators so that they are ready to calmly explain such situations to children without creating panic," emphasized Abu Meri.

He also noted that the country's residents will gradually have to adapt to new security challenges. According to him, no one can predict how long the war and the associated risks for the region will last.

"Unfortunately, we live in such conditions. We cannot know how much longer the war in Ukraine will continue and how many more drones there will be. Recently, this is becoming almost a normal occurrence, and we need to learn to live with these things," the politician stated.