Baltic Dialogue Initiative
Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania consider their history under the Soviet Union between World War II and 1991 as a time of occupation. Yet their common history with Russia goes back centuries, and their economic future is inevitably linked with their powerful neighbor to the East. With important Russian-speaking communities in their midst, the Baltic nations are faced with the challenge of keeping their own identity while maintaining positive relations with their neighbors. At the same time, since they are integrated into the European Union, they can play a mediating role between Russia and Europe. Scroll down for reports.
Goal: Overcome historical tensions between Russia and the Baltic nations of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania
Methods: Forums, cultural exchanges, and service-learning programs
- Written by: Johann Hinterleitner, UPF-Estonia
Tallinn, Estonia - UPF-Estonia held a Peace Forum in Tallinn on Dec. 14 under the topic of “Practical Steps towards Eurasian-European Cooperation and Mutual Prosperity - What Role Can the Baltic Countries Play?“
- Written by: UPF - Estonia
Tallinn, Estonia - UPF-Estonia convened a leadership conference on the theme of "Peace Building in Multicultural Societies - The Baltic Dialogue Initiative" in Tallinn on June 2.
- Written by: UPF - Estonia
Tallinn, Estonia - A meeting of Ambassadors for Peace was held in Tallinn on July 2. The program was about the dialogue between Russia and Baltic States. The guests representing NGOs, businesses, and governmental organizations, discussed the basics of the dialogue within the post-Soviet territories.
- Written by: UPF - Eurasia
Riga, Latvia and Vilnius, Lithuania - Building on cultural exchanges between Russian, Finnish, and Swedish children, UPF-Eurasia introduced its Baltic Dialogue Initiative inviting Ambassadors for Peace to join in addressing sensitive issues between Russia and its neighbors to the west. Read reports from Riga, Vilnius, and Tallinn.
- Written by: Vadim Bolshak, Vice-President, UPF-Latvia
Riga, Latvia - The Universal Peace Federation-Latvia, convened the first official conference on “The Baltic Dialogue” on June 28. Among the participants were Ambassadors for Peace of Latvia, school teachers, university professors, and leaders of youth grassroots organizations. Altogether, there were about 30 guests.
- Written by: UPF - Lithuania
Vilnius, Lithuania - A meeting on the UPF Founders’ World Tour 2011 and the Baltic Dialogue initiative of UPF-Eurasia for Ambassadors for Peace was held on June 21 in Vilnius.