Ambassador Juris Štālmeistars congratulates Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya on receiving the Tipperary International Peace Award

On 2 May 2023 in St. Mary’s Church, Ambassador Juris Štālmeistars participated in the presentation of the 2022 Tipperary International Peace Award to Belarusian politician Mrs. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya. The award to Mrs. Tsikhanouskaya is a statement of support for the rights to freedom of speech, freedom of association, and freedom of assembly in Belarus.

During the event a special presentation was held to honour the Irish Defence Forces for 65 years’ service and contribution on peacekeeping missions in different parts of the world since 1958.

The event was concluded with the Wreath Laying Ceremony at the Tipperary Remembrance Arch where Ambassador together with other representatives of the diplomatic corps and guests joined Mrs. S.Tsikhanouskaya to commemorate all those who have died in wars and violence in different parts of the world.

Informational note:

The Tipperary Peace Convention was established in 1983 to promote peace at home and abroad. The original aims were to promote the concept of peace through music and discussion, to provide an open forum for the discussion of current peace-related issues with contribution from leading spokespeople of various and diverse viewpoints. The Convention also selects and rewards, annually, a person who has made a particularly noteworthy contribution to the peace-making process. Previous recipients of the award include Nelson Mandela, Bill Clinton, Adi Roche, Senator George Mitchell, Archbishop Robin Eames and, last year, the Cluster Munition Coalition.

The founding committee of the Convention is: Tim Ryan, Joe Quinn, Maureen Walsh and Noel McInerney. The current Secretary of the Convention is Martin Quinn.

The recipients of the Tipperary International Peace Award, include Malala Yousafzai, Senator Edward Kennedy & Ambassador Jean Kennedy Smith, former U.S. President, Bill Clinton, Former South African President Nelson Mandela.