The celebration of Tolerance Day supported by the Lithuanian prime minister demonstrated sincere and exceptional attention to representatives of the ethnic communities in Lithuania.

International Tolerance Day was marked for the fifth time in Lithuanian November 16 with an event at the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences supported by the Lithuanian prime minister and organized by the Department of Ethnic Minorities under the Government of the Republic of Lithuania. During the event prime minister Saulius Skvernelis and department director Vida Montvydaitė honored and awarded those who had contributed most to the establishment of civil society, celebration of ethnic cultures and the fostering of intercultural dialogue in Lithuania.

Prime minister Saulius Skvernelis spoke respectfully about the Lithuanian ethnic minorities and their oppression during World War II which people experienced only because the Nazis and their collaborators didn’t approve of their ethnicity.

Lithuanian Jewish Community chairwoman Faina Kukliansky proposed changing the name of the Department of Ethnic Minorities to the Department of Ethnic Communities, saying this name better reflects the institution’s aims.

Nikolaj Medvedev, a signatory to the Lithuanian Independence Act and a member of the Greek association Patrida, and sister Daiva Tumasonytė, director of the Panevėžys Children’s Activities Day Center, were awarded grand medals of honor “For Merit.”

Kaunas Jewish Community chairman Gercas Žakas, Lithuanian Estonian association chairwoman Liia Urman, Lithuanian Karaïte Cultural Association member and member of the board of ethnic minorities Romuald Špakovski, Lithuanian-Polish Stanislaw Moniuszko Cultural Center director Apolonia Skalkowska, ethnic associations board member and chairwoman of the Vilnius Ukrainian association Natalija Šertvytienė and Rodyna Ukrainian cultural and education center chairwoman Lidia Trigub were awarded the gold medal of honor “For Merit.”

Union of Belarusian Organizations president Larisa Sliesareva, Druskininkai Spachyna Belarusian cultural association chairwoman Valentina Ivanovskaja, Lithuanian-Polish Scholastic Association chairman professor Hendryk Malewski, Nadezhda Lithuanian Russian Club in Kaunas chairwoman Elena Suodienė, Council for the Coordination of Lithuanian-Russian Social Organizations senior secretary Tatjana Michniova, Kaunas Tartar Community chairman Jonas Ridzvanavičius and Visaginas Ukrainian Association chairwoman Svetlana Chertkova received silver medals of honor “For Merit.”

Lithuanian prime minister Saulius Skvernelis, Department of Ethnic Minorities director Vida Montvydaitė, representatives from the President’s Office, the parliament and the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Culture, the director of the Department of Narcotics, Tobacco and Alcohol Control, Ukrainian ambassador to Lithuania Volodmyr Yatsenkivskyi and other ambassadors and head of mission at the Polish embassy Grzegorz Poznanski participated at the celebration.

information from the Government of Lithuania webpage