News

On 13 May, at the initiative of the Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Litvakes foundation, the first Lithuania-Israel Forum event - the seminar "State building experience and Lithuania - Israel relations” was organised at the Institute of International Relations and Political Science of Vilnius University.

During the event, the state building experience of Lithuania and Israel were discussed and new areas for cooperation sought for.

Professor Gerald Steinberg from Israel presented to the participants of the discussion a perspective, which had been scarcely analysed in Lithuanian – the state-building in a hostile environment and sociologist Uriel Leviatan – the layer of the society of this country. Gadi Baltiansky gave a lecture on the changing public opinion and Brigadier General (Res.) Ephraim Lapid spoke about the immigration and integration problems in Israel.

Lithuania was represented and the perspective of the building of our state was presented by sociologist Vladas Gaidys, Professor Aleksandras Dobryninas, Dr. Boguslavas Gruževskis, Member of Parliament Dr. Egidijus Vareikis, political scientists Nerijus Maliukevičius and Giedrius Jokubauskis, journalists Andrius Navickas and Virgis Valentinavičius.

The Lithuania - Israel Forum is a non-formal bilateral dialogue of intellectuals, representatives from the academic community, journalists, political scientists and   representatives from other walks of life.

The aim of the Forum was to seek to bring the countries closer through the intellectual dialogue between the societies of both countries, promoting steady cooperation, exchanging experience, knowledge and ideas, analysing challenges, which both nations face today.

The idea of the forum was supported by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania and Israel, and included it into their joint statement, which was signed by the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania and Israel in February, 2008.

Not accidentally, the first event was organised about the State building experience. This topic is equally important to Lithuania, which recently celebrated its 90th anniversary of statehood, and to Israel, which was celebrating the 60th anniversary of the State of Israel in these days. 

The Lithuania - Israel Forum was organized by Litvakes Foundation and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania. The event was supported by the Institute of International Relations and Political Science of Vilnius University and the International Commission for the Evaluation of the Crimes of the Nazi and Soviet Occupation Regimes in Lithuania.