Conclusions

The history of the three Baltic countries has been a violent one, as they have been the common battle ground for wars waged by the surrounding regional powers, Russia, Germany, Poland, Sweden and Denmark over many centuries. Their difficult past can be explained by their - in many ways - unfortunate geographical position right on the border of the Western and Eastern hemispheres, between the Catholic/Protestant culture of Western Europe and the Russian Orthodox Eastern culture.

Their more recent common history with tsarist Russia and the Soviet Union throws additional light on their negative feelings for the Russia of today and their eagerness to join Western economic and security structures. It is therefore quite natural that all three Baltic countries refused to take on the security promises issued to them by Russia this autumn (1997). The promises can be seen as an example of Russia€s changing tactics in its attempts to contain the former Soviet republics within its sphere of interest and thereby stop NATO€s Eastern enlargement. However, after NATO€s Madrid summit, it has become increasingly clear, even to Russia, that NATO€s and the EU€s Eastern enlargements have come to stay. Subsequently there has been a warming up of the Russian-Baltic relations, with Russia taking a step back and letting the three Baltic countries concentrate on developing their foreign and economic policies towards a better future.

Kirsikka Bonsdorff: You could have put much more of your own opinions in here. I know you have interesting and "sharp" opinions of this matter. Your presentation included opinions, your paper didn't. I would have been especially interested in Finland's role in Estonia's EU membership process. How Finland has supported Estonia's intentions to join the Union etc.