VI Estonian-Latvian History Conference 100 Years Since the Division of Valga/Valka. Estonian-Latvian Relations in the 1920s
On May 5, 2022, the VI Estonian-Latvian History Conference 100 Years Since the Division of Valga/Valka. Estonian-Latvian Relations in the 1920s will take place at the Valga Culture and Hobby Center.
The conference, dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the division of Valga and Valka, will follow the border negotiations between the Estonian and Latvian delegations in 1920 regarding the issue of Valga city's belonging and the division of the city between the two countries.
Lecturers from both Estonian and Latvian universities and libraries will speak at the scientific conference. The conference is aimed at all history enthusiasts. The conference is bilingual (Estonian and Latvian) and equipped with simultaneous translation. The event is organized by the Valga Museum in cooperation with the Estonian Embassy in Latvia, the Latvian Embassy in Estonia, and the Valga Municipal Government. The organization of the conference is supported by the Estonian Cultural Endowment.
Participation in the conference is free of charge.
Registration until May 2 HERE (click the link) or at www.valgamuuseum.ee or by phone 7668863; 7668868.
AGENDA
10:30 – 11:00 Gathering and registration, coffee table
11:00 – 11:15 Opening of the conference
11:15 – 11:55 Meelis Burget (Master of History) “Border negotiations between Estonia and Latvia regarding the division of the town of Valga”
11:55 – 12:35 Lauri Mälksoo (legal scholar and academician) “The Estonia-Latvia border agreement in a foreign policy and international legal context”
12:35 – 13:15 Dr. Eriks Jekabsons (University of Latvia) “Estonia’s role in the Latvian War of Independence”
13:15 – 14:15 Lunch (on your own)
14:15 – 14:55 Ago Pajur (University of Tartu) “Relations between Estonia and Latvia in the early 1920s”
14:55 – 15:35 Valters Ščerbinskis (Editor-in-Chief of the Latvian National Encyclopedia) “Closest neighbors. Estonia and Latvia during and after the War of Independence”
15:35 – 16:15 Taavi Pae (Associate Professor of Geography at UT) “The cartographic Estonian-Latvian border”
16:15 – 16:30 Closing of the conference
Immediately after the end of the War of Independence in early 1920, when the young republics of Estonia and Latvia achieved a historic victory over Soviet Russia, the border between Estonia and Latvia also had to be established. This was by no means an easy task, as several areas along the Estonian-Latvian border were inhabited by both Estonians and Latvians. This was also the case in the town of Valga, which both countries desired in its entirety. To solve the border issue, an international border commission was formed, led by British Colonel George Tallents. The border agreement was signed on July 1, 1920, dividing the town of Valga in half between Estonia and Latvia. The Estonian side of the town was named Valga, and the Latvian side was named Valka. Previously, the town was known as Walk.
