On 22 September 2020 in Riga, the Foreign Minister of Latvia, Edgars Rinkēvičs and the Foreign Minister of Lithuania, Linas Linkevičius, presented the diplomat and linguist, Alberts Sarkanis, with the annual Balts’ Award bestowed by the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Latvia and Lithuania for outstanding achievements in research and fostering of the Balts’ heritage.
On presenting the award, Edgars Rinkēvičs thanked Alberts Sarkanis for his contribution to building relations between the two countries and to the field of Baltic linguistics, especially in compiling the Lithuanian-Latvian dictionary.
Alberts Sarkanis was the first Latvian Ambassador to Lithuania to be appointed after the restoration of independence. He is the editor of the Lithuanian-Latvian dictionary issued in 1995, the author of a number of research papers on Latvian and Lithuanian linguistics and history, and a former lecturer at the University of Latvia and Vytautas Magnus University in Kaunas.
Both Foreign Ministers recognised that the Balts’ Award has become a beautiful tradition in the relations between the two neighbouring countries. It is an opportunity to thank the Latvians and Lithuanians who, in their daily work, bring our nations closer together and foster the common cultural and historical heritage of the Balts.
During the Lithuanian Foreign Minister’s working visit, the officials also discussed bilateral topics and latest international developments, including the state of affairs in Belarus.
Background information
Balts Unity Day is celebrated in Latvia and Lithuania on 22 September to commemorate the victory of the Semigallians and Samogitians over the Livonian Brothers of Sword in the Battle of Saule in 1236.
The Balts’ Award has been presented since 2018. The monetary value of the award is EUR 3000, co-funded by the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Latvia and Lithuania.