| Abstract [eng] |
The main obstacle to intensify the security cooperation and join the Nordic security community for Lithuania was differing perception of Russia. While Lithuania saw it as a threat, the Nordic states took more pragmatic stance in bilateral relations to Eastern neighbour. Nevertheless, after the start of Russian-Ukrainian War few years ago and especially after the annexation of Crimea the Nordic States wish to extend the security cooperation in the region once again. In this thesis it is argued that aggressive Russian policy in the region (taking as a marking point annexation of Crimea) made Russia to be seen as a security threat in the Nordic States not only providing the impulse to the Lithuanian-Nordic security cooperation, but creating a possibility for Lithuania to join the Nordic security community. This is done by proving three core thesis statements. First, the annexation of Crimea made Lithuania and Nordic States to see Russian action as a threat. Second, these actions were interpreted as a common threat by Nordic States and Lithuania. Third, these actions/ realized threat gave an impulse to the Nordic-Lithuania cooperation on security questions. These thesis statement are defended by comparing the content of the most important security documents and states security policy of Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden and Lithuania before and after the annexation of Crimea in the period from 2004 to 2016 and supplementing the data from the interviews State officers from same countries. The analysis has showed that after the annexation of Crimea Russian Federation‘s actions are percept as a security threat to all Europe in all five states. However, while in Denmark, Norway and Sweden, it became a threat only after the annexation, in Finland and Lithuania Russia has been understood as the potential source of instability and other kinds of (mostly non-military) threats even before the vital events took place. In these countries the perception of Russia as a threat not weakened or emerged but increased. Rhetoric’s, defence reforms, increased support for NATO and new partnership seeking, let’s to conclude that the greatest change in the view of Russia among the Nordic States after the Crimea annexation took hold in Swedish elites, Because of the opposite reasons the smallest change in perception and actual security and defence policy could be detected in Finland. At the same time, Norway ranks second after Sweden because of its threat perception, clear military direction and conflicting interest with Russia in the Arctic, while Denmark stays third because of prolonged discussions about defence spending, focus and public space dominated by questions of migration and terrorism. Nevertheless, the special bilateral military ties with Denmark and Sweden’s increased susceptibility to partnerships with strategically important territory of Gotland impels the author to recommend to give priority to these two nations in order to join the Nordic security community in the future. |
