The event will take place from 10:00 to 13:00 (UTC +2).
The objective of the conference is to present to a Lithuanian audience the different important issues that are at stake in general, for the European Union and for the Nordic countries in the Arctic region in particular. These are issues that might also be of growing importance to Lithuania and the other Baltic states. This includes both hard and soft security (search and rescue) questions, as well as issues related to the vulnerable environment and climate (including black carbon emissions), resource management (including fisheries and energy), new transportation routes, economic development, and social issues (of especially the indigenous people) and possible competition/cooperation with NATO countries, Russia and China.
• Arnoldas Pranckevičius, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania
• Michael Mann, European Union Special Envoy for Arctic Matters, European External Action Service.
• Louise Calais, Ambassador for Arctic Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Sweden
• Rune Jensen, Coordinator – White Paper on the Arctic, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway
• Viktorija Rusinaitė, Senior Analyst at Hybrid CoE, an associated analyst at Vilnius Institute for Policy Analysis
Moderator: Dr Margarita Šešelgytė, Director of the Institute of the International Relations and Political Science, Vilnius University
11:30 // Break
• Thomas Winkler, Ambassador for Arctic Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark
• Saulius Gasiūnas, Director of the Euro-Atlantic Cooperation Department, Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Lithuania
• Friðrik Jónsson, Iceland‘s Senior Arctic Official to the Arctic Council
Moderator: Prof. Mindaugas Jurkynas, Head of the Department of Political science, Vytautas Magnus University, Jean Monnet Chair
Embassy of the Kingdom of Denmark to the Republic of Lithuania,
Embassy of the Republic of Finland to the Republic of Lithuania,
Embassy of Iceland to the Republic of Lithuania,
Embassy of the Kingdom of Sweden to the Republic of Lithuania,
Embassy of the Kingdom of Norway to the Republic of Lithuania,
Nordic Council of Minister Office in Lithuania,