{"id":846,"date":"2023-03-15T10:49:16","date_gmt":"2023-03-15T09:49:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lithuanianstories.com\/en\/?p=846"},"modified":"2023-06-24T10:15:26","modified_gmt":"2023-06-24T08:15:26","slug":"when-italy-support-lithuania-independence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lithuanianstories.com\/en\/2023\/03\/15\/when-italy-support-lithuania-independence\/","title":{"rendered":"When Italy Support Lithuania Independence"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The diplomatic support of Italy to the independence of Lithuania since 1919: &nbsp;<strong>an exhibition of historical documents in Kaunas<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>WATCH OUR VIDEO<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-video\"><video controls poster=\"https:\/\/www.lithuanianstories.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Adamkus-Library-exhibition-LithuanianStories.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/www.lithuanianstories.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Adamkus-Library-Diplomacy-exhibition-LithuanianStories.mov\"><\/video><figcaption><strong>Historical Italian Diplomacy, Exhibition at the Adamkus Library in Kaunas<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Italy and Lithuania: two countries far from each other, but closer than you think<\/strong>. The first one in Southern Europe overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, the other one in Northern Europe on the Baltic Sea, <strong>they have been in touch since the Grand Duchy of Lithuania when Bona Sforza married Sigismund I the Old<\/strong>, the Grand Duke of Lithuania in the 16th Century.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/adamkuslibrary.lt\/en\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Adamkus Library in Kaunas<\/a> is housing an exhibition of historical documents<\/strong> showcasing the Italian institutions <strong>supported the newly independent state of Lithuania<\/strong>. The exhibit takes place in the same building that was the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania in the inter-war period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"766\" src=\"https:\/\/www.lithuanianstories.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Adamkus-Library-LithuanianStories-1024x766.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-849\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.lithuanianstories.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Adamkus-Library-LithuanianStories-1024x766.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.lithuanianstories.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Adamkus-Library-LithuanianStories-300x224.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.lithuanianstories.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Adamkus-Library-LithuanianStories-768x575.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.lithuanianstories.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Adamkus-Library-LithuanianStories-640x479.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.lithuanianstories.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Adamkus-Library-LithuanianStories.jpg 1417w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption><strong>The palace that hosted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania in the inter-war period<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The documents, coming from the archives of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, <strong>are an important testament to the long-standing relationship between Lithuania and Italy<\/strong>. At the end of the First World War, <strong>the restored Republic of Lithuania wasn\u2019t internationally recognized except for Italy <\/strong>(and few others).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Italy\u2019s support was pivotal for the new country<\/strong>, which after declaring independence in February of 1918, was officially recognized by the Power Allies only in December 1922.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In a very delicate and crucial phase of the start of its international relations, <strong>Lithuania received from Italy a convinced and still little-known support<\/strong>. A support that was pivotal for the country&#8217;s rebirth that, although it had proclaimed its independence in February 1918, <strong>was formalized <em>de jure<\/em> by Italy and the other Power Allies only in December 1922.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The exhibition, which has already been on display in autumn 2021 at the Italian Institute of Culture in Vilnius, celebrates <strong>the 30th anniversary of the re-establishment of bilateral diplomatic relations between Italy and Lithuania<\/strong> in August 1991.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Of particular relevance are <strong>the letters addressed to the President of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Lithuania <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lithuanianstories.com\/en\/2021\/01\/14\/landsbergis-man-who-opposed-soviets\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Professor Vytautas Landsbergis<\/a><\/strong>, who personally attended the inauguration of the exposition, and the minutes of <strong>the League of Nations in 1920<\/strong> documenting the vote in favor of Lithuania&#8217;s accession, that was only signed by Italy and a few other countries (Portugal and some non-European countries).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>These are difficult times we\u2019re living in<\/strong>. Maybe the hardest after World War II. Knowing history, knowingwhat happened in the past it\u2019s always a good thing. Especially now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>In these last few years Russia has been trying to rewrite history<\/strong>. It wants to go back to when most of Eastern European countries and the Caucasus were under occupation or under control by the USSR.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Extremely difficult times for Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Georgia\u2026 For whole Europe.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The VDU Faculty of Political Science and Diplomacy and Adamkus Library are partner of this exhibition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Professors and historians Andrea Griffante and Egidijus Aleksandravi\u010dius<\/strong>, together with the <strong>Italian Ambassador in Lithuania Diego Ungaro<\/strong>, presented to the audience the significance of the exhibition and the historical and political context in which it was possible for <strong>the convinced Italian support for the rebirth of Lithuanian independence<\/strong> both in the period 1919-1922 and in 1991.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The exhibition will remain <strong>at the Valdas Adamkus Presidential Library until 23rd March<\/strong>. From <strong>25th March to 13rd April it will be on display at the Faculty of Political Science and Diplomacy of Vytautas Magnus University in Kaunas<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Thanks to the <strong>Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Political Scien<\/strong>ce <strong>and Diplomacy Aist\u0117 \u017demaityt\u0117 of the Vytautas Magnus University of Kaunas, <\/strong>and to the<strong> Director of Adamkus Library, Ar\u016bnas Antanaitis<\/strong>, for their support.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The diplomatic support of Italy to the independence of Lithuania since 1919: &nbsp;an exhibition of historical documents in Kaunas. WATCH OUR VIDEO Italy and Lithuania: two countries far from each other, but closer than you think. The first one in<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":848,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[7,1],"tags":[172,131,170,171,167,168,169,44,11,26,173],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lithuanianstories.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/846"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lithuanianstories.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lithuanianstories.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lithuanianstories.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lithuanianstories.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=846"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.lithuanianstories.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/846\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":851,"href":"https:\/\/www.lithuanianstories.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/846\/revisions\/851"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lithuanianstories.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/848"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lithuanianstories.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=846"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lithuanianstories.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=846"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lithuanianstories.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=846"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}