The Institute and Archive Directors Have Signed a Cooperation Agreement with the Institute for the Investigation of Communist Crimes in Romania

PRAGUE April 16, 2009

– The Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes and the Security Services Archive took a further step today in the expansion of international cooperation. The directors of both institutions signed an agreement on support and cooperation this morning with the Institute for the Investigation of Communist Crimes in Romania (Institutul de Investigare a Crimelor Comunismului in Romania), represented by its president Marius Oprea. The Romanian institute thus became the fifth foreign institution with which the Institute and Archive have entered into cooperation agreements. The first agreement was made on September 8, 2008 with the Polish Institute of National Remembrance. „We will cooperate in the areas of scholarly research and educational projects. Cooperation includes joint research programs and mutual assistance in the publication of scholarly research findings, the organization of seminars and conferences, as well as study exchanges of historians,“ commented Pavel Žáček, director of the Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes. The institutions will further exchange publications already issued in the Czech Republic and Romania, thus enriching their libraries with new study material. “This opens new horizons for archivists, as they can cooperate with Romanian historians to discover materials which are not in our own archives, or which have been destroyed. This comparison of materials on specific issues can result in surprising findings,“ added Ladislav Bukovszky, director of the Security Services Archive. Marius Oprea deems that a benefit can be the exchange of archival materials concerning the Czech Republic in Romanian archives and vice versa. „I believe that my signature today is a significant step towards the creation of the platform of European memory and conscience which was discussed at the hearing in the European Parliament and at the recent plenary session of that institution. I am convinced that such an institution is necessary for the coordination not only of the exchange of experiences between European historians, but also for the pooling of new information and informing of all member institutions about relevant discoveries of new materials,” said Oprea. Please do not hesitate to contact me in the event you have further questions. Jiří Reichl Spokesperson Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes Siwiecova 2, Praha 3 130 00 gsm: +420 – 725 787 524 email: press@ustrcr.cz