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This year the celebration of the Balts Unity Day took place in Šiauliai, Lithuania. The Lithuanian and the Latvian officials participated in this celebration: the audience was addressed by the Speakers of Lithuanian and Lithuanian Parliaments Vydas Gedvilas and Solvita Āboltiņa, the Minister of Culture of Lithuania Šarūnas Birutis and the Minister of Justice and Acting Minister of Culture of Latvia Jānis Bordāns,  the Ambassador of Lithuania to Latvia Ričardas Degutis and the Ambassador of Latvia to Lithuania Mārtiņš Virsis, Head of the Secretariat of Latvia-Lithuania Cross-Border Cooperation Programme Antra Jansone, Representatives from the Lithuanian and the Latvian Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation Groups,  the Mayor of Šiauliai Justinas Sartauskas. In his welcoming address the Lithuanian Ambassador Ričardas Degutis noted that the Balts Unity Day is an opportunity to be together, to remember that we have common ethnic roots, similar culture, folklore, languages. "Although the Lithuanians have a song" Three Million”, together with Latvia we are five millions, so let’s feel like being five million ", - said the Lithuanian Ambassador.

The Balts Unity Day is one of the initiatives implementing the recommendations of the Latvia-Lithuania Cooperation Report. The Report was produced in 2011 and is a good momentum for further development of cooperation and joint projects between both the countries. Last year's events to mark the Balts Unity Day were held in Latvia, in the Bauska Castle.

Alongside the official events, a fair of traditional crafts was held on the central pedestrian boulevard of Šiauliai; the participants of this event could enjoy a concert of Latvian and Lithuanian folklore groups by the monument to Povilas Višinskis; an exhibition "We are Neighbours" by Latvia-Lithuania Cross-Border Cooperation Programme has been displayed; the participants also had the opportunity to take part in an interactive folk dance project "The Lielvārde Belt".

As part of the celebrations, an international communication forum "The Balts Solidarity: Communication Perspectives" was organized, presenting an in-depth discussion on Latvian-Lithuanian neighbourly relations.

The participants had also the chance to watch a feature film "Dream Team 1935" by a Latvian film director, Aigars Grauba. Afterwards, the audience also had an excellent opportunity to meet the director and discuss the process of making the film and the events it presents.

The Balts Unity Day is marked in remembrance of the victory of Samogitians and Zemgalians over the Livonian Brothers of the Sword in the Battle of Saule back in 1236. Since the restoration of independence, both the Balts countries, Lithuania and Latvia, have been among the closest cooperation partners in the region. Both the states engage in an active political and economic dialogue. Lithuanians and Latvians are also the only descendants of the ancient Balts; besides, the neighbouring countries are linked by ethnic kinship, common cultural traditions and, notably, the historical experience of the 20th century. The common language and culture heritage was the basis for the Lithuanian Seimas and the Latvian Saeima declaring the day of the Battle of Saule (22 September) the Balts Unity Day in 2000.

The Balts Unity Day in Šiauliai was organised by the "Baltų Centras" organization, the Secretariat of Latvia-Lithuania Cross-Border Cooperation Programme, Šiauliai City Municipality, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia, the Lithuanian Embassy in Latvia and the Latvian Embassy in Lithuania.