Jānis Zelmenis, Honorary Consul of Republic of Malta in Latvia

Your Excellencies, Distinguished guests!

I would like to express my deep gratitude for you being here on this important day. It is a historical moment as it is the first time in Latvia that we are celebrating the Malta Independence Day. The Republic of Malta, an island archipelago with a population of some 421,000 located in the centre of the Mediterranean Sea between Sicily and the North African coast, has gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1964, on September 21.

Association of Consular Corps in Latvia was established as a non-profit association to serve the interests of the honorary consuls of foreign countries in Latvia. 

Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca was elected President of the Republic of Malta on the 4th April 2014. A Parliamentary resolution on 1st April 2014, approved her nomination as the ninth President of Malta.
 
At the age of 55, Coleiro Preca is the youngest serving President of Malta and only the second woman to hold the post of Head of State. Her nomination marked another development in the constitutional history of Malta, as the President was elected with the unanimous approval of all Members of Parliament.
 
Coleiro Preca was born in Qormi on 7th December 1958. She was educated at St. George’s Primary School in Qormi, Maria Reġina Girls’ Grammar School at Blata l-Bajda and at the Polytechnic, Imsida. Later she graduated with a BA in Legal and Humanistic Studies (International Studies) and obtained a Diploma Notary Public from the University of Malta.