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NATO ENLARGEMENT – Nordic and Baltic Perspectives

 

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Date and Time: Thursday, 13 April 2023, 1700-1900 BST

Where: Fyvie Hall, University of Westminster, 309 Regent Street London W1B 2UW

Registration is Free.

 

ABOUT THE EVENT:

The University of Westminster is hosting an event has the honour to present an event where we will host two very important speakers: The Ambassador of the Republic of Lithuania, Eitvydas Bajarūnas, and the Ambassador of Finland to the United Kingdom, Jukka Siukosaari, together with the University of Westminster professors we will explore the challenges and opportunities the NATO enlargement will bring, preparation for the NATO Vilnius Summit and the vitality of strengthening shared security, the challenges and opportunities that will come with the NATO enlargement, rise of new geopolitical threats, how Russian invasion to Ukraine will shape the alliance’s future, how we should think about power and identity in international relations and emphasising the Eastern NATO Flank’s role in this uncertain equation.

 

Event Format:

5:00 – 5:10 pm – Welcome by Head of School of Social Science, Professor Dibyesh Anand.

5:10 – 5:40 pm – Keynote addresses by Ambassador Barajūnas (Lithuania) and Ambassador Siukosaari (Finland).

5:40 – 6:10 pm – Discussion lead by University of Westminster professors

6:10 – 6:30 pm – Audience Q&A

6:30 – 7:00 pm – Drinks reception (with canapes)

[Moderator: Dr Frands Pedersen, Senior Lecturer in Diplomacy and International Relations, University of Westminster and convenor of Political Studies Association UK’s Nordic Politics Group]

 

Speakers:

H.E. Eitvydas Bajarūnas took up his position in September 2022. From 2020-2022 he served as the Ambassador to the Russian Federation and Uzbekistan.

Prior to this, he has held various diplomatic postings, including Ambassador to Sweden, Consul General of Lithuania in Saint Petersburg (Russia), and Deputy Chief of the Lithuanian mission to NATO. Mr Bajarūnas was Political Director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the director of various units in the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Defence.

Mr Bajarūnas was also Diplomatic Adviser of the President of Lithuania, Consultant of NATO Affairs Commission in Seimas (Parliament) of Lithuania and the Chairman of the Board of Easter European Studies Centre (Vilnius), Member of the Editorial Board of the “Lithuanian Annual Strategic Review” of the Military Academy of Lithuania, Member of the Steering Board of the European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats (Helsinki) and Member of the Governing Board of the European Humanities University (Vilnius).

Mr Bajarūnas graduated from Vilnius University with a degree in Applied Mathematics. He also obtained his M.A. in International Relations at King’s College London.

 

H.E. Jukka Siukosaari is currently Head of Mission at Finland’s Embassy in London. He has worked as Secretary General of the President of the Finland Republic since 2018. From 2016–2018, he served as Finland’s Ambassador in Tokyo and, from 2012–2016, as Finland\’s Ambassador in Buenos Aires. His career in the Diplomatic Service includes postings to London, Pretoria, Rome and Dublin. Jukka Siukosaari joined the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in 1995.

 

Professor Roland Dannreuther joined as Professor of International Relations from University of Edinburgh in 2009. He was Dean of Social Sciences and Humanities (2013-15) and Deputy Vice-Chancellor 2015-2019. Roland Dannreuther was International Fellow at the Department of International Relations, Tbilisi State University, Georgia; Faculty Fellow at the Geneva Centre for Security Policy (2000-02); and Research Associate at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (1992-5). His research revolves around the area of security studies and international relations with a regional focus on Russia, Central Asia and the Middle East. He has published extensively in these areas. 

Dr Wojciech Ostrowski is a Senior Lecturer in International Relations at the University of Westminster. He is the author of Politics and Oil in Kazakhstan (Routledge, 2010 and 2011), and an author and co-editor of Global Resources: Conflict and Cooperation (co-edited with Roland Dannreuther) (Routledge, 2013); Understanding Energy Security in Central and Eastern Europe: Russia, Transition and National Interest (co-edited with Eamonn Butler) (Routledge 2018); Handbook on Oil and International Relations (co-edited with Roland Dannreuther) (Edward Elgar Publishing 2022).

Dr Ali Tajvidi is Senior Lecturer in Politics and International Relations at University of Westminster. Dr Tajvidi has a first degree in American and European History & Politics and a Masters in Diplomatic Studies. His doctorate was on US foreign policy towards revolutionary Iran.

 

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