Expert Seminar on Lithuanian–Belarusian Relations

Expert seminar on Lithuanian–Belarusian relations

Relations between Lithuania and Belarus are strategically important for both countries and their societies. At the same time, there is a near absence of regular bilateral exchange of expert knowledge. This results in insufficient — and often inaccurate — understanding current events and policy decisions on both sides.

On March 19–20, 2026, the first annual expert seminar on Lithuanian–Belarusian relations was held. Over the course of two days, representatives of academic community, business, media, and the political actors discussed key bilateral issues concerning the development of relations between the Lithuanian state and society and the Belarusian state, civil society, and diaspora.

• The seminar serves as a platform for in-depth dialogue among experts, policymakers, and civil society representatives on bilateral relations. Its aim is to facilitate the exchange of ideas and experience, as well as to develop mechanisms and define priorities for cooperation between expert communities.
• The first meeting took place against the backdrop of a general deterioration in Lithuanian–Belarusian relations, when cross-border cooperation has become impossible, and maintaining societal-level cooperation has emerged as a critical challenge requiring new approaches and formats.

The seminar brought together more than 100 participants.

The main organizers of the event were Vytautas Magnus University and the Institute “Political Sphere.”

The seminar’s partners included the Grand Duchy of Lithuania Institute, the Lithuanian Institute of History, the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, and the Belarusian Public History Institute.

The first day of the seminar opened with welcoming remarks by Deividas Matulionis (Representative of the Office of the President of Lithuania) and Kęstutis Kudzmanas (Advisor to the Prime Minister of Lithuania).

During the first day, four panel discussions were held, covering the following topics:

• Reality check: Overview of Lithuanian–Belarusian relations in 2020–2025;
• Migration: main trends and challenges;
• Litvinism in media narratives and the image of Lithuania in Belarusian state media;
• Presentation of a sociological study on Lithuanian public attitudes toward Belarusians (conducted by the Institute “Political Sphere” as part of the project “Strengthening independent Belarusian social, political and economic research”).

The first day concluded with a fifth final regional discussion on Latvia–Belarus relations, featuring representatives of the Latvian academic community and Einars Semanis (Ambassador of Latvia to Belarus until 2025).

On March 20, the second day, a press conference was held presenting the results of the first day to Belarusian and Lithuanian media. This was followed by a presentation of public opinion research “Measuring Sympathy and Threat: Belarus and Belarusians in the Eyes of Lithuanian Residents.” The public program concluded with a panel discussion on Architectural Heritage of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, featuring Belarusian and Lithuanian historians.

The seminar concluded with a discussion on the establishment of a Lithuanian–Belarusian Public Historical Commission. Both sides expressed mutual interest in creating a platform for dialogue and exchange among historians from Belarus and Lithuania.

The results of the seminar were published by a number of Belarusian and Lithuanian media outlets, and the results of the study were discussed on the daily broadcast of the key Lithuanian media channel Delfi on March 20.

Media coverage of the event:

Belsat.eu. https://belsat.eu/92191905/stalenne-litoca-da-belarusa

Radio Liberty. https://www.svaboda.org/a/33711846.html

Nasha Niva. https://nashaniva.com/390906

Delfi. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Er4zc4fnbM&t=2137s

Deutsche Welle. https://www.dw.com/ru/opros-lis-cetvert-litovcev-vidat-v-belorusah-ugrozu-nacbezopasnosti/a-76502873