A constitutive meeting of the Belarusian-German History Commission was held in Berlin from the 30th of January to the 1st of February 2020. The Commission comprises 16 Belarusian and German historians. The Commission was organized by the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus and German Association for East European Studies.

The Commission was established at the initiative of President of the Federal Republic of Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier and President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Germany provides funding for the Commission activities.

The activities of the Belarusian-German History Commission are aimed at improvement of joint studies of the Belarusian and German history, its transnational context and historic relations between Germany and Belarus. The Commission regards itself as a generator of initiatives and aims at involvement of subject of academic, non-academic and civic communities from Belarus, Germany and other countries. Conferences, summer schools and grant competition for scientists are planned.

The constitutive meeting also included a visit to the German Historical Museum and banquet involving Segei Andrushkevich, the Assistant Secretary of the Embassy of the Republic of Belarus in the Federal Republic of Germany, Michael Zibert, the Commissioner for Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia of the Ministry for foreign affairs of the Federal Republic of Germany, Denis Sidorenko, the Ambassador of the Republic of Belarus in the Federal Republic of Germany, Manfred Huterer, the Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany in the Republic of Belarus, Wit Chechere, the Commissioner for Foreign Policy in Science, Education and Research, Torsten Stolzenberg, the Specialist for Educational Institutions, Science and Research of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Germany.

If you have any questions about the Commission activities, contact Professor A. Kovalenya, the speaker, Academic Secretary, Doctor of Historical Sciences (220072, the Republic of Belarus, Minsk, pr. Niezaležnasci, 66. Tel./fax: (017) 284-07-74, e-mail: humanity@presidium.bas-net.by).

Picture by Nora Erdmann