In 2026, the Nordic Council of Ministers Office in Lithuania marks 35 years of continuous presence and cooperation. Established shortly after Lithuania regained its independence, the Office became a symbol of Nordic solidarity at a defining historical moment. Today, the Nordic–Baltic partnership faces a markedly different but equally demanding context.

Against this backdrop, the conference will serve as a high-level platform to reflect on past achievements, assess the current state of Nordic–Lithuanian and broader Nordic–Baltic cooperation, and outline strategic directions for the future.

Broadcaster of the conference: LRT.lt

Conference recoding

PROGRAMME

13:00-13:30 | WELCOME COFFEE

13:30-13:35 | OPENING – Živilė Kropaitė, Master of ceremony

13:35-13:42 | WELCOME REMARKS – Ole Andreas Lindeman, Director, Nordic Council of Ministers Office in Lithuania

13:43-13:53 | KEYNOTE SPEECH – Karen Ellemann, Secretary General of the Nordic Council of Ministers

13:53-14:00 | KEYNOTE SPEECH – Oleksandra Matviichuk, Ukrainian human rights lawyer and civil society leader, head of the non-profit organisation Centre for Civil Liberties, Nobel Peace Prize receiver in 2022 (online keynote address)

14:00-15:00 | PANEL I – Stronger Together? Testing the Nordic–Baltic Cooperation Model After 35 Years

This panel explores trajectories of Nordic–Baltic relations, building on the experience of the past 35 years while shifting the focus toward emerging challenges and opportunities. It examines how public perceptions, cultural and societal ties, security dynamics, economic development, and societal resilience are shaping cooperation today – in the context of NATO, the EU, and Russia’s war against Ukraine – and how policy choices, social perspectives, public sentiment, and trust are likely to influence the depth and sustainability of Nordic–Baltic cooperation in the years ahead. The panel will also explore the political proximity developing between the Arctic and the Baltics.

Speakers:

• Kristina Háfoss, Secretary General of the Nordic Council 
• Aaja Chemnitz Driefer,  former member of the Danish Parliament and chair of Arctic Parliamentarians, Inuit Ataqatigiit (Greenland)
• H. E. Linas Linkevičius, Ambassador of Lithuania to Sweden
• Pia Hansson, Director of the Institute of International Affairs (Iceland)
• Matti Pesu, Senior research fellow, Finnish Institute of International Affairs

Moderated by Ole Andreas Lindeman, Director of the Nordic Council of Ministers Office in Lithuania

15:00-15:20 | COFFEE BREAK

15:20-15:30 | KEYNOTE SPEECH BY FOREIGN AFFAIRS MINISTER KĘSTUTIS BUDRYS

15:33-15:53 | CONVERSATION WITH KĘSTUTIS BUDRYS and PRESIDENT OF THE NORDIC COUNCIL VILLE VÄYRYNEN | Moderated by Linas Kojala, CEO, GSSC. Introduction by Elisabeth Bauer, President of the Advisory Board of GSSC

15:53-16:50 | PANEL II – Disinformation and digital resilience in the Baltic Sea region: actors, narratives, and countermeasures

 This panel is based on an analytical publication on disinformation in the Baltic Sea region. The discussion will present the key findings of the analytical study, examining dominant disinformation narratives, target audiences, and methods used across the region, as well as similarities and differences, with a particular emphasis on sharing knowledge on responses between the countries.

 Speakers:

• Una Aleksandra Berzina-Cerenkova, Director, Latvian Institute of International Affairs
• Jussi Lassila, Senior Research Fellow, Finnish Institute of International Affairs
• Jeanette Serritzlev, Military Analyst, Royal Danish Defence College
• Frederick Fooy, Senior Analyst, The Swedish Psychological Defence Agency 

 Moderated by Nerijus Maliukevičius, Associate Professor, Institute of International Relations and Political Science, Vilnius University

16:50-17:20 | CONVERSATION WITH H. E. DALIA GRYBAUSKAITĖ AND KAREN ELLEMANN | Moderated by Prof. Margarita Šešelgytė, Director of the Institute of International Relations and Political Science, Vilnius University (The conversation will not be livestreamed).

17:20 onwards | RECEPTION