Touring photography exhibition dedicated to Baltic Way to be opened in Foreign Ministry [30 Jul 2009]

On 31 July at 12 a.m., in the lobby of the Foreign Ministry building, the touring exhibition The Baltic Way that moved the world will be opened. Until 25 August, the exhibition will be displayed in Riga but at the end of the month it will move to Paris, to be presented at the events organised by the Senate of France and the Embassies of the Baltic states, as well as in Le Pont Neuf art gallery. After that, it will be shown in London and Stockholm. The exhibition has been prepared by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in association with photographer Imants Znotiņš.

The exposition contains 40 photographs and photo collages by Baltic photographers that are not only documentary testimony of the historic event but also reflect emotional experiences. Each photograph is a story about destinies of individuals and of whole nations.

On 23 August 1939, Soviet foreign minister Vyacheslav Molotov and German foreign minister Joachim von Ribbentrop signed the treaty of non-aggression which affected the history of Europe and of the entire world over the years to come. The secret protocol to the treaty – the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact – envisaged the division of Eastern Europe between Germany and the USSR, placing the Baltic states under the Soviet sphere of influence. Fifty years later, on 23 August 1989, the nations of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia surprised the world by joining hands in a human chain, over 600 km long, thus demonstrating their strong determination to reestablish the independence of the Baltic states. 

Last year, the collection of documents on the preparation and proceedings of the Baltic Way, through co-operation of the experts from the three Baltic states, was nominated for the inscription into the Memory of the World Register of UNESCO.

On 30 July in Barbados, the Council of international experts of the UNESCO Programme "Memory of the World" decided to enter the Baltic Way campaign on the Memory of the World International Register, thus confirming the importance of the Baltic Way and its being a part of the collective memory of the humankind. The inclusion of the documents in the International Register, the Baltic Way as a phenomenal non-violent mass movement bears evidence of the high estimate by international community, and highlights the value of the ideas of unity, solidarity and freedom in the Baltic states and the world over.

The information on the nomination of the Baltic Way and the programme of events, dedicated to the 20^th Anniversary of the Baltic Way, compiled by the Information and Public Relations Department of the Foreign Ministry, is available on the website www.balticway.net.

Media representatives wishing to attend the opening of the exhibition are invited to register with the Foreign Ministry Press Centre before 11:00 on 31 July by calling 67016272.

Please arrange your visit to the exhibition in the Foreign Ministry in advance, by calling 67015984 or 67015970 on work days from 9:00 to 16:30.

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