The Baltic Assembly awards prizes and holds its 43rd session

Head of the Estonian Delegation to the Baltic Assembly (BA) Timo Suslov said that the BA session held in the year of the 35th anniversary of the Baltic Way would again remind the world how unity, peace and hope could defeat oppression and bring about lasting change. “In the light of the situation in Ukraine and Belarus, the Baltic States as free and democratic countries have a crucial role in promoting freedom, democracy, the rule of law and civil society also today. We must strengthen the defence cooperation between the Baltic States and with our partners in the Benelux and the Nordic Countries in order to respond to the security threats of conventional, cyber and hybrid war,” he added.

The meeting of the parliamentarians will begin tonight at 7 p.m. with an award ceremony at the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania, where the Baltic Assembly prizes will be presented. This year’s Baltic Assembly Prize in Literature was awarded to Estonian author and poet Rein Raud for his novel The Plague Train. The Baltic Assembly Prize in the Arts was awarded to the Latvian film director Dāvis Sīmanis for his film Maria’s Silence, and the BA Prize in Science went to the Lithuanian researcher Limas Kupčinskas for his outstanding contribution to fundamental and clinical research and innovation in the field of digestive and liver diseases. The Prize consists of a monetary prize, a certificate and a statuette.

The medals of the Baltic Assembly will also be presented at the award ceremony. The BA medals are awarded to outstanding persons for upholding the unity and cooperation of the Baltic States. The medals will be awarded to President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, Secretary General of NATO Jens Stoltenberg, Member of the Saeima (Parliament) of Latvia Raimonds Bergmanis, Professor of Family Medicine and Vice Dean of Medical Faculty of the University of Tartu Ruth Kalda, Director of the Academic Library of the University of Latvia Venta Kocere, writer and translator Margus Konnula, Deputy Chief of State Fire and Rescue Service of Latvia lvars Nakurts, founder of Chamber Orchestra ME and Baltic Piano Orchestra, producer Toivo Tuberik, Member of the Lithuanian Delegation to the Baltic Assembly Romualdas Vaitkus.

The Baltic Assembly Session will be officially opened tomorrow at 10 a.m. in the Seimas of Lithuania. The opening session will be chaired by President of the Baltic Assembly Andrius Kupčinskas (Lithuania) and Vice-Presidents of the BA Jānis Vucāns (Latvia) and Timo Suslov (Estonia). Speaker of the Seimas of Lithuania Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen, Speaker of the Saeima of Latvia Daiga Mieriņa President of the Riigikogu of Estonia Lauri Hussar will deliver the opening addresses of the Session.

The 30th Baltic Council, chaired by President of the Baltic Assembly Andrius Kupčinskas and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania, Chair of the Cooperation Council of the Baltic Council of Ministers Gabrielius Landsbergis, will focus on regional security and foreign policy. Minister of Justice of Latvia Inese Lībiņa-Egnere and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia Margus Tsahkna will also address the Baltic Council. The sitting of the Council will end with signing of the Joint Statement of the 30th Baltic Council.

The press conference of the Baltic Assembly and the Baltic Council starts at 1 p.m., and it will be streamed online.

In the afternoon, the Session will continue with the discussion “Regional Artificial Intelligence: The Role of the Baltic States in AI Development”. The Session will also feature a discussion on current and future cooperation among the Baltic States, followed by addresses by foreign delegations and guests. The Session will conclude with the adoption of the Resolution and Final Document, and the election of the President, Vice Presidents, and Chairs and Vice Chairs of the Committees for 2025. Lithuania will transfer the presidency of the Baltic Assembly and the Baltic Council of Ministers to Latvia.

The Baltic Assembly (Interparliamentary Assembly of the Republic of Estonia, the Republic of Latvia and the Republic of Lithuania) is a consultative cooperation organisation of the parliaments of the three Baltic States that discusses issues of mutual interest. The Head of the Estonian delegation to the BA is Timo Suslov, the Deputy Head is Enn Eesmaa, and members of the delegation are Arvo Aller, Karmen Joller, Meelis Kiili, Lauri Laats, Priit Lomp, Tiit Maran, Helir-Valdor Seeder, Riina Solman, Margit Sutrop and Peeter Tali.

Riigikogu Press Service
Maris Meiessaar
+372 631 6353, +372 5558 3993
maris.meiessaar@riigikogu.ee
Questions: press@riigikogu.ee

Link uudisele: The Baltic Assembly awards prizes and holds its 43rd session

Source: Parliament of Estonia