The signatory of March 11, E.Petrov, died

“The signatory dedicated his work to Lithuania, which was not his birthplace, but whose freedom and well-being he cared most about. How concerned he was to preserve the historical memory of the Joniškėlis region where he grew up and gather people. I sincerely sympathize with the family, like-minded people and the people of the country”, says Speaker of the Seimas Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen in her condolences.

E.Petrov was born on April 26, 1936 in Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg) in Russia, in the family of civil servants Peter Petrov, who later died in the Second World War, and Katerina Lupanova-Petrova. In the fall of 1942, the German family was evacuated to Lithuania.

In 1955, E.Petrovs graduated from Joniškėlis secondary school, in 1960 from the Faculty of Physics of the Šiauliai Pedagogical Institute and obtained the specialty of teaching the basics of production. He first worked as a teacher at the secondary school in Šiauliai, then as a teacher at the Vilnius Light Industry Technical School, and as a senior engineer at the Institute of Physics and Mathematics of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences.

In the biography published by the Seimas, it is indicated that after the beginning of the Revival, E.Petrovs actively joined its activities – he was a member of the initiative group of the Institute of Semiconductor Physics of Lithuania Persitvarkymos Sąjūdis, deputy chairman of the Sąjūdis Council of the city of Vilnius.

It is noted that he delved into the problems of national communities and national minorities, looked for their solutions, took care of the preservation of the Lithuanian language and its fate.

On March 4, 1990, E. Petrovas was elected a deputy of the Supreme Council in the Tauros electoral district of the city of Vilnius. In the election campaign, he fought with the Sąjūdis program, and defeated Viačeslav Dobyčinas, a member of the pro-Moscow Communist Party of Lithuania.

E.Petrovs, who began to delve into the problems of national communities and national minorities during the Renaissance, continued this activity while working in the Supreme Council-Restorative Seimas.

From May 8, 1991, E. Petrovas belonged to the Sąjūdis Center faction, was one of the initiators of the establishment of the Lithuanian Center movement, and a member of the Center union. In 1993, he worked as an advisor to the Lithuanian State Commission for Regional Problems under the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania, in 1994-1997 – in the Department of Regional Problems and National Minorities, in 1998 he started working in the Department of National Minorities and Emigration, and was the head of the Eastern Lithuania Group.

E.Petrov is the author of several inventions, published scientific articles on solid state physics and semiconductor device technology. E.Petrov was awarded the honorary title of Lithuanian Merited Inventor.

On the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the restoration of the Lithuanian state, E. Petrovas was awarded the Lithuanian Independence Medal.

As announced by the Seimas, the urn with the remains of the deceased will be placed in the Vilnius funeral home on Olandų street, hall 6. Farewell – on Thursday from 12:00 p.m. to 8 p.m., on Friday – from 10 a.m.

St. Mass will be offered on Friday at 12 noon. Vilnius St. in the Church of the Apostles Peter and Paul. E. Petrovas will be buried in Vilnius Antakalnis cemetery.