The ninth SCERU Public Seminar invited H.E. Mr Krišjānis Kariņš, Minister of Foreign Affairs and former Prime Minister of Latvia, as a guest speaker. Within 10 years of the post-Cold War era, Latvia transformed itself from a country occupied by the USSR to a democratic nation fully integrated into both the European Union and North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Foreign Minister Kariņš, in a speech entitled "Europe Whole and Free,” presented the Latvian perspective on his country's remarkable transition. He argues that the preservation of a rules-based international order is essential not only for the survival of a small country such as Latvia but also for the preservation of the free world today. For like-minded countries, Mr Kariņš stressed the importance of multilateral institutions today as a way of deterring aggression and preserving foundational values -- fundamental freedoms, democracy and the rule of law.

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