Events

The Archive Department of the Foreign Ministry and the Embassies of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, together with the Robert Schuman Foundation organised a day of study on the theme of "Independence lost and found. France and independence in the Baltics 1921-1991." Two panels took place during this seminar: the first was devoted to the recognition of independence after the first world war and the second panel described the re-establishment of diplomatic relations in 1991.

During the first panel, researchers, professors and historians described the events - specific to each of the three Baltic countries - that led to independence in 1920 and to the recognition of this by France. The second panel, focused on the period between 1990 and 1991, and this was divided into two: two historians firstly spoke of the French government's attitude with regard to independence then the ensuing re-establishment of diplomatic relations with the Baltic countries.

Finally there was a round table moderated by the Chairman of the Foundation, Jean-Dominique Giuliani ; participating in this debate were his Excellence, Sven Jurgenson (Ambassador of the Repubic of Estonia in Paris), Emanuelis Zingeris (Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee at the Parliament of the Republic of Lithuania), Jacques de Beausse (Ambassador in Riga from 1991 to 1993), Jacques Hutzinger (Ambassador in Tallin from 1991 to 1994), Philippe de Suremain (Ambassador in Vilnius from 1991 to 1996) and Claude Huriet (former Senator and Chair of the France-Baltic Countries Friendship Group). The participants related their experiences referring back to issues they had spoken on in the previous two speeches.