Powstanie i działalność Rosyjsko-Litewskiej i Rosyjsko-Łotewskiej Komisji Historyków (2006-2020) jako forma realizacji polityki historycznej

Paweł Letko

doi:10.31648/ep.7948

Published: 2022-07-011

No. XXIII/1 (2022)

The Establishment and Operations of the Russian-Lithuanian and Russian-Latvian History Committees (2006-2020) As an Instrument of Historical Policy

Paweł Letko

Echa Przeszłości

Section: ARTICLES

https://doi.org/10.31648/ep.7948

Abstract

The article analyzes the establishment and operations of the Russian-Lithuanian and Russian-Latvian History Committees as an instrument of historical policy that was initiated to promote bilateral relations between the Russian Federations, Lithuania and Latvia. In Russia and the Baltic states, historical policy is regarded as an important instrument of building national identity that is rooted in national symbols. The historical narrative adopted by Lithuania and Latvia is often at odds with Russian historical memory, which is why bilateral history committees were established to foster debate on controversial issues. The Russian-Lithuanian History Committee was created in 2006. The establishment of the Russian-Latvian History Committee was fraught with many problems, and the organization was founded only in 2011. Both committees suspended their operations upon the outbreak of the military conflict in Ukraine in 2014, but their activities were revived in 2017. The Russian-Lithuanian committee published two volumes of archival documents (in 2006 and 2013), whereas the Russian-Latvian committee was successful in accessing source documents from Russian archives. The committees stirred considerable controversy and criticism in all three countries. However, historical policy should rely on factual information and reliable research to ensure that historical facts are not manipulated for the needs of state-controlled propaganda.

Keywords:

historical policy, international relations, Lithuania, Latvia, Russia

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Letko, P. (2022). The Establishment and Operations of the Russian-Lithuanian and Russian-Latvian History Committees (2006-2020) As an Instrument of Historical Policy. Echa Przeszłości, (XXIII/1), 219–238. https://doi.org/10.31648/ep.7948

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