Heads of government of Ukraine and Latvia opened a monument to Taras Shevchenko in Riga

On Friday, November 6, in the framework of a working visit to Latvia, Prime Minister of Ukraine Arseniy Yatsenyuk and Prime Minister of Latvia Laimdota Straujuma participated in the opening of the monument to Taras Shevchenko.

Arseniy Yatsenyuk noted that this event became possible thanks to the Ukrainian community of Latvia, patrons of the art, "who found an opportunity to raise money and build a memorial to the Ukrainian visionary Taras Shevchenko".

He expressed gratitude to the Head of the Latvian Government for the Latvian Government had also put in efforts the monument to be installed in Riga.

Arseniy Yatsenyuk noted that the monument depicts a young poet: "Shevchenko was 23 when he wrote The Wide Dnipro Roars And Moans. He was 29 when he wrote An Open Grave. He, then being a young man, showed a picture of the future of Ukraine. He is so young, as the Ukrainian state is".

The Prime Minister of Ukraine stressed that both histories of Ukraine and Latvia "had dark pages which are the pages of Soviet occupation": "Taras Shevchenko was the man who struggled with imperialism, misanthropic regimes. He fought for freedom, for the freedom of the Ukrainian people, and he fought for Ukraine being in the free and new family. And this family is a large Europe", he accentuated.

"We spare no effort to ensure that Ukraine could really become part of a United Europe. This path is not easy. But there is no other way. This is the path towards freedom, prosperity to help Ukraine overcome all the challenges that befell our nation," he said.

The Head of Ukrainian Government reminded the words of Taras Shevchenko: "Fight and you will win, May God help you!" "Therefore, go ahead, only the true fight for our future, together with our Latvian friends," stressed Arseniy Yatsenyuk.