Vladimir Jarmolenko
Former Ambassador of Lithuania, E-mail: vladimir.jarmolenko@gmail.com
DOI number: 10.53604/rjbns.v5i2_10
Cite: Vladimir Jarmolenko (2013), Address at the Fourth International Conference on Baltic and Nordic studies in Romania: empire-building and region-building in the Baltic, North and Black Sea areas . RJBNS 5(2), 201-203. DOI: 10.53604/rjbns.v5i2_10. https://balticnordic.hypotheses.org/files/2018/12/12.-Vladimir-Jarmolenko.pdf
Honourable Professors, Distinguished Participants,
It is a great pleasure for me to welcome you here, in Ovidius University of Constanta, at the Fourth International Conference on Baltic and Nordic studies, organised by the Association. It is also a special occasion for the Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania to announce the beginning of the Lithuanian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, starting from the 1st of July 2013 up to the end of the year.
This year my mission in Romania comes to the end and when I look back I understand that I have strong reasons to be proud for Romanian and Lithuanian historians. A couple of years ago we started from an idea: to bring historians of both countries together. The idea became reality and the The Romanian Association for Baltic and Nordic Studies was founded, thanks to the enthusiasm of a couple of persons, or better, personalities, such as Silviu Miloiu, Florin Anghel, Ion Calafeteanu, Bogdan Schipor, Ion Ciuperca and others. The Association’s activity is an incredible way to have a vision about Nordic countries looking from the South! And opposite!
As a founding member and still Honorary President of the Association, I am honoured to see the results of our common long efforts. During these years, the Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania in Romania and the Association has done remarkable things for history:
- First of all, there were practically no ties between Romanian and Lithuanian historians.
Now, great Lithuanian historians take part at this International Conference, which is at its FOURTH (!) edition. - Secondly, the Embassy supports the ROBALTNORD -The Small Library of Baltic and Nordic Studies.
- Thirdly, we managed to issue 3 books up to now at the Publishing House “Cetatea de Scaun” from Târgoviște:
- The first one, which I’m very proud of, is “Istoria Lituaniei” in the Romanian language (!) and was issued at the end of 2011.
- The second book is “The Romanian-Lithuanian Relations. Diplomatic Documents (1919-1944)” in Romanian, Lithuanian and English languages, also published at the end of 2011.
Both books were launched in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or Romania, marking the 20 years anniversary from the re-establishment of diplomatic relations between the Republic of Lithuania and Romania. - The third book is the translation into Romanian of a Lithuanian historian and Euro parliamentarian Leonidas Donskis’s “Power and Imagination. Studies in Politics and Literature”, issued this year. Let me emphasise that Mr. Donskis is among us now and will have a presentation in the frame of this Conference.
The launching of this book took place yesterday, 24 of May, in Bucharest, in the Nicolae Titulescu Foundation. I would like to thank the Minister of Youth and Sport of the Republic of Moldova Mr. Octavian Țîcu (who is actually a great historian and was the Dean of the Faculty of History and International Relations of ULIM University from Chisinau and is a good friend of the Association), who had the brilliant idea to translate this book into Romanian language and the Association has done it. I hope this book will be also launched in the Republic of Moldova with the support of the Lithuanian Embassy in Chisinau.
Our plans go further: both Embassy, the Honorary Consulate of Lithuania in Romania and the Association are searching for ways to support the issuing of a new book coordinated by Association President Mr. Silviu Miloiu, called: “From neighbourhood to partnership: highlights of Lithuania‘s relations with Romania and Moldova.” And believe me, this kind of projects create strong ties between two different nations.
I cannot go further without saying that at the beginning of this year, the Lithuanian Embassy together with Mr. Ioan-Aurel POP, Rector of Babeș-Bolyai University from Cluj along with Mr. Bogdan CRĂCIUN, Head of the Special Collection Department of Romanian Academy, Cluj-Napoca Branch, managed to find the book from the Lithuanian-Polish King Sigismund II Augustus’ library, called “De Republica emendanda libri quinque: de morubus, de legibus, de bello etc. (Basileae : Io Oporinus, 1559)”. This I call a VICTORY!
Let me inform that a couple of weeks ago Vilnius University received from me the electronic copy of this book. I hope that both universities will settle a strong and fruitful cooperation.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am very glad that this year we have historians from much more countries, universities, and research bodies. This Fourth conference became even more international then the previous edition.
And I would like to thank Silviu MILOIU, the President of The Romanian Association for Baltic and Nordic Studies, and all organizers, sponsors, partners, participants and audience for support.
And because every beginning has an end, and, as I mentioned before, this is my last year in Romania, let me announce my official resignation from the position of Honorary President of the The Romanian Association for Baltic and Nordic Studies. I leave, having a strong feeling that we have made a lot of important steps forward in the relations between our countries since the opening of the Lithuanian Embassy in Bucharest in 2006.
I would like to wish good luck in continuing and accelerating the activities initiated in the field of history, because history means LIFE.
I wish you all a joyful conference!
