Agency of Social Information: How Lithuanian and Russian Civil Society Can Help Establish Dialogue between Countries

27/07/2022 16:20

Photo: Vitaly Belousov / RIA Novosti

The Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation hosted a meeting with representatives of civil society of the Republic of Lithuania.

Today we all live in a situation where the authorities do not find a dialogue with the population, emphasized the head of the “Good Neighbor Forum” public movement, Erika Svencioniene. When other diplomatic ties are exhausted, people's diplomacy takes over. According to the speaker, the “Good Neighbor Forum” could become a diplomatic platform, if it is possible to open a representative office in Russia, as it was done earlier in the Republic of Belarus.

“This would be a solid foundation for future opportunities, exchange of experience and cross-border cooperation in the field of trade, festivals, sports and culture,” - the speaker emphasized.

Secretary of the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation Lidia Mikheeva said that the issues of opening representative offices in the Russian Federation are regulated by the Ministry of Justice, while the Civic Chamber can help organize a dialogue with the department.

Erika Švenčionienė also suggests setting up regular teleconferences between representatives of civil society in Lithuania and Russia, as well as athletes, cultural figures and bloggers – the latter can especially help maintain contacts during the “information blockade”.

The representative of the Eurasian Peoples' Assembly Maxim Sidorov is sure that it is also necessary to carry out joint activities to preserve historical memory, to involve the youth of both countries in cultural and research projects, search and archival activities.

The “Good Neighbor Forum” (Geros kaimynystės forumas, GKF) is a civic initiative that closely cooperates with the Lithuanian movement, the “Dawn of Justice” party. The forum brings together public activists interested in improving relations with neighboring countries.

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