A solemn evening took place on February 16 in Riga, where representatives of the Embassy of the Republic of Belarus in the Republic of Latvia, Belarusian public organizations, cultural and scientific institutions of the Republic of Latvia, as well as guests from Belarus discussed the achievements and prospects for cooperation.
Within the framework of the meeting, there was the presentation of the results of the international scientific and publishing project on facsimile restoration of the book heritage of Francysk Skaryna. Alies Susha, Deputy Director for Research and Publishing Activities of the National Library of Belarus gifted the complete set of the facsimile edition The Book Heritage of Francysk Skaryna to the library of the University of Latvia.
The event was held in the oldest Latvian library, founded in 1524: the Academic Library of the University of Latvia, which is storing unique book collections, including some legacy of Belarusian origin. Within the framework of the event, arrangements to organize joint meetings, presentations, exhibitions, scientific forums and discussions on actual issues of the book culture of Belarus and Latvia were made.
The international scientific and publishing project on restoring the book heritage of the Belarusian first printer, implemented by the National Library of Belarus and the BelVEB Bank, was completed last year and became the culmination of jubilee events dedicated to the 500th anniversary of Belarusian book-printing in Belarus and abroad. The project contributes to new initiatives, which will promote the national book heritage both in our country and abroad in the coming years.
In the autumn of this year, it is planned to organize Days of Belarusian Culture in Latvia, which will be held in cities and towns of various regions of this country. By the way, there is a large Belarusian diaspora in the Republic of Latvia, which traditionally takes an active part in celebrations.
