Marija Andrejeva is a journalist covering the Baltics for Current Time.
Thirty years ago, on August 23, 1989, approximately 2 million people in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania joined hands to form a human chain more than 600 kilometers long to show their desire for independence from the Soviet Union. Current Time spoke with organizers and participants of the Baltic Way to find out how they remember this event today.
Euroskepticism doesn't get far with 81-year-old former Latvian President Vike-Freiberga. As head of state, she sidestepped tensions with Russia and successfully advocated for Latvia's 2004 entrance into the European Union. "We simply clenched our teeth and rowed forward," she told Current Time.
For many Latvians, joining the European Union on May 1, 2004 was all about reaffirming their European identity and leaving the Soviet past behind. Latvia’s population, however, has shrunk by some 365,000 people over the past 15 years. That trend, though, appears to be changing, as migrants start to return.
