Joint event by the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP) and the German Association for East European Studies (DGO)
Calls for a stronger NATO presence in the Baltics have increased in recent years amid rising security concerns and worries about a possible armed conflict with Russia. The Russian government fueled such fears further with its 2017 military exercise Zapad that included mock attacks on the Baltic countries. At the same time, however, NATO members are also divided about the alliance's future course in the Baltics, with some arguing that an increased presence of the alliance on its Eastern borders will only provoke Russia. At our meeting, we intend to discuss how the security situation in the Baltics has evolved in recent years. We will debate whether the security policies of the Baltic countries match the real security threat Russia presents and which security challenges the Baltics and NATO will face in future relations with Russia.
Speaker:
Riina Kaljurand
Adviser, Policy Planning Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Estonia, Tallinn
Alexander Golts
Military expert and Editor-in-Chief of the online platform Ezhednewniyj Zhurnal, Moscow
Christoph Schwegmann
Military-Political Adviser, Policy Planning Staff of the Federal Foreign Office, Berlin
Chair:
Stefan Meister
Head, Robert Bosch Center for Central and Eastern Europa, Russia and Central Asia, DGAP
The event is part of a series of discussions hosted by the German Council on Foreign Relations in cooperation with the German Association for Eastern Studies (DGO) and it is organized by the Robert Bosch Center. The discussions will be held in English. The next event in this series will take place on 20 September and will focus on Estonia’s, Latvia’s and Lithuania’s role in the European Union.
