Dr Marijuš Antonovič Awarded the State Independence Scholarship 2022

Commemorating the Day of Restoration of Independence of Lithuania, 11th March, the State Independence Scholarship was awarded to Dr Marijuš Antonovič, a lecturer at the Institute of International Relations and Political Science of Vilnius University (VU TSPMI).

Receiving the award, Dr Antonovič reminded that Lithuania is a subject of international relations with a wide range of tools and means to defend and renew the country's international political order of 11th March.

"In my research, I will compare the foreign policies of Lithuania, Poland and Latvia in relation to Belarus. It is worth emphasizing that this study fits well into a long intellectual tradition that sees reflecting on Lithuania's place in the international landscape as a state-building factor. This is well illustrated by the founders and creators of our state and the founding and most important documents of Lithuanian statehood they left," said the winner of the State Independence Scholarship.

Dr Antonovič is convinced that Lithuania's geographical position and size are not a paralyzing verdict meaning that we have to passively wait and see what the "great ones" in the West decide, or what the "great ones" in the East arrange.

"In some cases, being small can turn into a big advantage. For example, it can accelerate our pursuit of energy independence and green transformation. Our smallness in no way prevents us from experimenting with new forms of representative democracy or providing solutions to the ethical problems created by technological breakthroughs. We have every opportunity to take the leadership on these and other issues and to be a pathfinder for the entire alliance of democracies," said the winner.

The Chairman of the State Independence Scholarship Commission, Professor Zenonas Butkus, believes that the prestige of the Independence Scholarship is growing.

"The purpose of the Independence Scholarship of the Republic of Lithuania is relevant, noble and meaningful. It is awarded to young scientists developing the humanities and social sciences, conducting high-quality research, especially research that strengthens Lithuania's statehood," said the head of the Commission.

Dr Antonovič has submitted a project "The policies of Latvia, Poland and Lithuania in relation to Belarus 2014–2023: a comparative analysis" to the State Independence Scholarship Award Committee. The aim of the study is to compare the foreign policies of Poland, Latvia and Lithuania in relation to Belarus after 2014, to identify the features and differences in the attempts of the small and medium-sized powers to influence the international system, as well as to identify the conditions under which they are willing to cooperate.