Public figures who have promoted the cooperation between Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania and those who share their ideals were awarded the Baltic Assembly medals in Tallinn, Estonia.
President of the Baltic Assembly Timo Suslov said in his speech at the ceremony held in the Concert Hall of the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre that today we celebrated our unity, the relations between us and our support for each other. “We have the honour to congratulate the people who have defended the free world and our common values, and who have promoted cooperation in the fields of culture and science as well as elsewhere. Our gratitude and praise to these remarkable people is best expressed through the motto on the medal – ‘Where there is unity, there is victory’,” he said.
The Baltic Assembly Prize in the Arts was awarded to Estonian artist Peeter Laurits for his outstanding and diverse artistic work and the project ‘Biotoopia’. Biotoopia is a series of conferences and art events initiated by Laurits in 2021 with the aim of creating symbiotic contacts between scientists and artists. On this occasion, Peeter Laurits’ personal exhibition ‘Biotoopia – the Parliament of Life Forms’ was also opened at the Riigikogu.
The Baltic Assembly Prize in Literature was awarded to Lithuanian translator and poet Antanas A. Jonynas for his collection of sonnets “Naujieji sonetai” (“New Sonnets”) The Prize in Science was awarded to Latvian musicologist Arnolds Laimonis Klotiņš for his monographs on music and creative life in post-war Stalinist Latvia and the Latvian music life in exile in Europe during the same period.
The Baltic Assembly Innovation Prize was awarded to the Estonian technology company GScan OÜ.
At the ceremony, the medals of the Baltic Assembly were also presented. The BA medals are awarded for promoting the cooperation of the Baltic States and those who support their ideals. This year, Estonia nominated former Head of the Estonian Delegation to the BA Urve Tiidus, Director of the Department of North and Central Europe of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Evelin Krõlov and teacher of the Estonian School in Riga Aiva Plauča for the BA medals.
Lithuania nominated for the BA medals President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, member of the Lithuanian Delegation to the BA and member of the Presidium of the BA Orinta Leiputė and member of the BA Delegation Linas Slušnys.
Latvia nominated for the BA medals Secretary-General of the Benelux Parliament Christine Bogaert, poet and translator Gundars Godiņš and former head of the CERN Baltic Group Toms Torims.
The Baltic Assembly has been awarding the Prizes in literature, the arts and science since 1994. The aim of the prizes is to promote the development of these fields in the Baltic States. The Prize consists of a monetary prize, a certificate and a statuette.
On Friday the representatives and the Speakers of the Baltic parliaments, and the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Baltic States come together in the Riigikogu for the 42nd Session of the Baltic Assembly and the 29th Baltic Council.
