Ambassador Silkalna Visits Alkiškiai

On 18 August 2024, Ambassador Solveiga Silkalna attended a service and cemetery festival at the Alkiškiai Evangelical Lutheran Church, where she got to know local Latvians and their relatives, who now live elsewhere, but still keep and pass on family stories and Latvianness to future generations. The Ambassador personally gifted the congregation the flags of Latvia and Lithuania inviting them to continue building and defending both countries, whose freedom was regained starting with the Baltic Way 35 years ago. Deputy Mayor of the Akmene District Tomas Martinaitis also participated in the celebration. After the church picnic, the ambassador, together with other interested parties, used the opportunity to see the places around Eltiški that burned down at the end of the Second World War, where evidence of the strong Latvian community before the war remains, together with Rasma Balklava, author of the book Beyond the Border.

The Embassy thanks Andris Pētersons, a descendant of the Latvian community of Alkiškiai, and Aldonis Eselinas, a representative of the congregation, for their support in organising the Ambassador's visit.

 Photo: Embassy of Latvia in Lithuania