Lithuania and Denmark have many things in common – not least geographically. They are both located in Northern Europe only 900 km apart and have significant Baltic coastlines.
With 65,300 km2 available, Lithuania is slightly larger than Denmark (42,933), which in turn has a population that is more than twice as large: 5.8 to 2.8 million.
Politically, both have highly democratic, pro-business governments that are open to foreign investment and attract international workers while being quick to condemn abuses of power.
For example, the Lithuanian former minister, Gabrielius Landsbergis – who is in fact the grandson of Vytautas Landsbergis, the leader of the independence movement and then head of state from 1990 to 1992 – was particularly vocal in his condemnation of Belarus.
They are both members of the EU, NATO and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.
Both countries are very open to business!
Not at all like China
Between each other, trade is healthy. According to figures from 2019, Danish imports to Lithuania amounted to 484.8 million euros (3.607 billion kroner), where 720.1 million euros (5.357 billion kroner) were in the opposite direction, according to Statistics Lithuania.
For Danish exporters, the Baltic markets have long had an advantage: they have good infrastructure, large production capacity, low wage levels and easy access to a well-educated workforce.
And most importantly, and this is where they really stand out as China, Lithuania is geographically close and culturally similar.
It is not surprising to note that Denmark is among the five leading investors in Lithuania, and that there are over 200 companies with Danish capital registered in the country.
Long way to freedom
Of course, all this did not happen in one day. This special edition may mark the 100th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the countries, but for almost five decades Lithuania was part of the Soviet Union.
On 16 February, the country celebrates its Independence Day in 1918, but it is 11 March, its restoration of Independence Day in 1990 and subsequent accession to the UN, which is more important for the modern country.
Diplomatic relations were duly restored in September 1991, and representatives of each other’s countries were established seven months later.
When the Lithuanians joined their first ever UN peacekeeping mission, it was the Danes who showed the most welcoming hand and offered help where needed.
Their troops have since cooperated in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as through their NATO commitments.
And when Lithuania applied to join the EU and NATO, which it eventually did in 2004, Denmark was quick to provide assistance.
The Nordic honor movement
Seventeen years later, the Lithuanian government and parliament would not look out of place in the Nordic region.
Its foreign policy is proactive, and it operates a fragmented multi-party system, just as Denmark is the coalition of most of its governments.
Like Denmark, its Prime Minister Ingrida ล imonytฤ is a woman, and so is pretty much half of the Cabinet (6 of 13) and also the speaker of its parliament, Viktorija ฤmilytฤ-Nielsen – a chess master (and former European champion) married to a Danish chess master, no less. In fact, its commitment to equality has always been strong, as in 1918 it became one of the first countries to give women the right to vote.
Equally strong was its quest for independence from the Soviets. As the first of its states to erupt, it was subjected to a 74-day economic blockade, but if the Soviets believed that a few months without heating or hot water would break their determination, they were wrong.
The center of everything
Regionally, Lithuania is actively cooperating with its northern European and Baltic countries.
It was a founding member of the Baltic Sea Council in 1993 and the Baltic Development Forum, and it also cooperates with its neighbors and the neighboring Nordic states through NB8 and NB6 (only for EU members).
It is also a member of the Council of the Baltic Sea States, which was established in Copenhagen in 1992, and it regularly participates in political co-operation with the Nordic Council of Ministers. It is also a member of the Nordic Investment Bank, which enables it to participate in the NORDPLUS training program.
Further afield, it has served as a member of the United Nations Security Council.
As a side note to its inclusivity, you knew that Europe’s true geographical center is located in Lithuania, just 26 km north of the capital Vilnius.
In the heart of Europe … see this space.
Source: The Nordic Page