Science and Knowledge Day festivities on September 1st at the MRU included the announcement and reward of the winners of the 2023 Dr. Karl A. Lamers Peace Prize Contest.  First Prize and 1000 Euros went to Vilius Lapis, a student of the MA study program GOALS, Faculty of Public Governance and Business. Second prize and 600 Euros is won by Volodimir Tsybko, a Ukrainian student of the MA study program “Management of Public Relations”, Institute of Communication, Faculty of Human and Social studies. Third Prize and 400 Euros awarded to Andra Mažrimaitė, a student with Law LL.M study program “Health Law”, MRU’s Law School.

Peace Prize certificates to the winners were presented personally by Prof. h.c. Dr. Karl A. Lamers, member of the German Bundestag, and Prof. Dr. Inga Žalėnienė, Rector of the MRU.

In the congratulatory speech Karl A. Lamers noted that MRU is very innovative, internationally minded and academically successful. He particularly praised MRU’s engagement in everything that could provide help for Ukrainians to fight back evil Russian aggression.

In 2018 Karl A. Lamers initiated the Peace Foundation that carries his name. The Foundation sponsors contests of university student essays on security and defence issues in different EU countries. In Lithuania the contest takes place at the MRU for the fifth year in a row. The  topic of the contest this year was:  Russia’s War in Ukraine and the “Reinvention” of NATO: Is the Alliance doing enough to help Ukraine and to strengthen NATO’s own deterrence and defence in Europe?

Karl A. Lamers is an influential German politician, a former veteran member of the Bundestag and of the Defence Committee of the Bundestag, former President of the NATO parliamentary assembly. He maintains regular ties with major Lithuanian politicians, who are engaged in security and defence policy making.