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On the eve of the Baltic Unity Day , Lithuanian and Latvian historians, people in culture, journalists and diplomats analysed the issues of history and culture, discussed possibilities to cooperate closer in the area of spreading information in the media. The discussions were held during the Third Congress of the Lithuanian-Latvian Forum on 20-21 September in Rēzekne, Latvia. Participants of the Congress were welcomed by Undersecretary of Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Laimonas Talat-Kelpša and Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia Eriks Zunda.

Undersecretary of the Ministry L.Talat-Kelpša heeded the attention of the participants to common Lithuanian and Latvian achievements in these latter years: membership in the Schengen area, Latvian-Lithuanian and Lithuanian-Latvian online dictionaries, a project of teaching the Baltic languages as a second language, which has been successfully implemented for a few years already at schools on the border.

‘I would like to take this opportunity to invite all the participants of the forum to cooperate even closer, search for ways to bring down the remaining invisible walls between Lithuania and Latvia, and to try to understand each other even better,’ encouraged L.Talat-Kelpša.

In the opinion of the Lithuanian diplomat, Lithuanians should learn more about the Latvian literature, and Latvians about the Lithuanian one, the same applies to the cinema, music and public life. L.Talat-Kelpša indicated that it was important to guarantee as many possibilities as possible to view each others’ TV channels, as well as it was necessary to promote the cooperation among the national and regional media of the two states.

Literature by Lithuanian and Latvian writers - a collection of Lithuanian-Latvian diplomatic documents from 1918 to 1940 by Zenonas Butkus and the selection of Latvian and Lithuanian poetry compiled by Daiga Joma and Dace Markus - were presented at the Congress.  

Joint Statement by Patrons of the Forum, President of the Republic of Lithuania Valdas Adamkus and President of the Republic of Latvia Valdis Zalters, was read to the participants of the event by Lithuanian Ambassador to Latvia Antanas Vinkus and Latvian Ambassador to Lithuania Hardijs Baumanis (see the Statement).

The Congress was organised by the Latvian-Lithuanian Forum association together with Vytautas Magnus University, Rēzekne Higher School and Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.