On November 5, 2021, Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkēvičs participated in the formal award ceremony of the Baltic Prize, which took place this year in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania. Together with his Lithuanian colleague Gabrielius Landsbergis, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Latvia presented the Baltic Prize to Regīna Kvašīte, Head of the Baltic Center, Linguist and Lecturer at Siauliai University.
“It is a real honor for me to participate in the Baltic Prize Ceremony of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Latvia and Lithuania in Vilnius today. With the Baltic Prize, which is being presented for the fourth time, we would like to thank those Latvians and Lithuanians who, through their daily work, provide an opportunity for our peoples to get to know and understand each other better. This has become an important tradition in Latvian-Lithuanian relations, the continuity of which symbolizes our close cooperation and unity. The Baltic languages are our common identity and character. They keep up with the times and develop, so the care and maintainance of languages is one of the most important tasks for Latvians and Lithuanians. Today, when a large part of our daily lives are spent in the digital world, it is especially important that we can also express ourselves fully in both Latvian and Lithuanian. Translators and linguists work every day to nurture the Baltic heritage, as well as to develop languages by giving them a modern sound. Thanks to their work, we can continue to cross borders through books during a pandemic when our daily contacts are limited. Thanks are also due to the teaching staff and researchers who attract more and more young and talented minds to language research,” said E. Rinkēvičs at the firmal ceremony.
Congratulating Regīna Kvašīte, the winner of this year's Baltic Prize, the Latvian Foreign Minister emphasized that the work done by Regīna Kvašīte in researching the heritage of the peoples of Latvia and Lithuania and strengthening the cultural ties between the two countries is an outstanding achievement. “For almost twenty years, the Baltic Center of Siauliai University, which she runs, has been one of the main meeting places for Latvians and Lithuanians in Lithuania. The center regularly hosts seminars, discussions, exhibitions on Baltic linguistics, history and modern issues of cooperation. R. Kvašīte's academic work in language research, as well as in the teaching of the Latvian language and culture in Lithuania is invaluable. Thank you for your excellent contribution to the maintenance of cultural, educational, scientific and linguistic relations between Latvia and Lithuania,” emphasized the Latvian Foreign Minister.
In parallel, during the bilateral talks, the Latvian and Lithuanian Foreign Ministers agreed to draft a report on the prospects for cooperation between Latvia and Lithuania. This will be done by Ambassador Gints Jegermanis and Lithuanian diplomat, former Ambassador to Latvia Petras Vaitiekūnas.