Later, a solemn reception was held where the guests were addressed with a greeting by the Ambassador of the United States of America to the Republic of Latvia Nancy Bikoff Pettit and Deputy Chairman of the Rietumu Bank Council Arkady Suharenko.
The Ambassador of the United States to Latvia Nancy Bikoff Pettit thanked the artists and organisers for a wonderful evening and said,
"It was an amazing evening. I hope that you feel the taste that reveals the richness of American culture. We saw it both in classical productions and in absolutely incredible modern dances. I hope that this has caused a desire on your part to visit the United States and see everything else that we can offer to you. It is a delightful example of the close friendship between the United States and Latvia. We are collaborating on so many issues: from security to economic development, economic cooperation to the sphere of culture - and this is what we saw today. I think it was a memorable and wonderful evening that I will remember always, as the highest event visited by me during my work in Latvia.”
In turn, Arkady Suharenko, Deputy Chairman of the Rietumu Bank Council, said,
"Rietumu Bank was established 25 years ago, and with the first results in business, charity became an important part of our life - we started helping to those who needed this assistance. For us, assistance to hospitals, children's homes and talented children is very important, as well as it is important to preserve the sacred heritage of Latvia and our monuments. One of the most important areas of this activity is culture. So far, we have supported many projects, including a guest performance of the Latvian National Opera at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, and now a guest performance of ballet stars of the United States. We are so glad that we could bring the remarkable guest performance. We will definitely continue our work regarding cultural exchange with the United States. In our anniversary year, there are still a lot of forthcoming cultural events. We would very much like Riga to become the real cultural capital of Northern Europe, and for this we will focus our attention and will invite outstanding performers from Europe and America.”
The reception was attended by foreign diplomats working in Latvia, representatives of the government, artists and entrepreneurs.
Eleonora Gailisha Mass Media and Public Relations
Phone: +371-67020506
Fax: +371-67020563
E-mail:
egailisha@rietumu.lv
