“International Night in the Baltics” celebrated

On 8 November 2013, for the 9th time in the Baltic Defence College (BALTDEFCOL) history, the „International Night in the Baltics” was celebrated. The annual „International Night in the Baltics” highlights the changing dynamics of a modern coalition joint force which always includes members of many nations.

BALTDEFCOL Commandant Major General Vitalijus Vaikšnoras opened the evening by highlighting that the celebration gives an excellent opportunity to the guest of the event to get great insight into the history, culture, traditions and national cousins of the countries represented in the College. 

BALTDEFCOL Commandant Major General Vitalijus Vaikšnoras opened the evening

After the opening remarks of BALTDEFCOL Commandant everybody was kindly asked to try the national cousins of all the nations currently represented in BALTDEFCOL, those being Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Georgia, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Norway, Poland, Slovakia, Sweden, Ukraine and the US. Each country presented a table with variety of national food, drinks and promoting reading material.

The main hall

BALTDEFCOL staff members, students and invited guests, and their families had, during the night full of delicious national food, tasty drinks and joyful performances by Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian folk dancers and musicians, an excellent opportunity to interact with other cultures they had never experienced before.

Performance by folk dancers

This type of interaction is part of the mission of BALTDEFCOL which is to provide top quality education to partner nations to prepare officers for the joint environment.

One of the traditions of BALTDEFCOL of conducting fund raisings for charitable purposes was also continued during this year’s “International Night in the Baltics” with the initiative and lead of BALTGIRLS-an informal group of wives of international Directing Staff members and students of BALTDEFCOL. The guest and participants of the evening had an excellent opportunity to make donations to support children with learning disabilities studying in Tartu Maarja School. BALTDEFCOL managed to raise a noteworthy sum that will hopefully make a big difference to the children in need.

The event was a continuation of a similar event first organized in November 2005 – „Baltic Night”. In 2006 and 2007 the event was celebrated as an „International Night” involving the contribution of other nations than only the Baltics and today it bears the name of the International Night in the Baltics.