Connected by geopolitical location, separated by distance: main lines of development of relations between Lithuania and Finland

ENThe aim of this article is to give an overview of the development of relations between Lithuania and Finland in the period from the beginning of the 20th century to the beginning of the 21st century. The emphasis is on political relations, but the main lines of economic and cultural relations are also highlighted. The main reasons that have affected the relations between the countries are also analysed. In addition to certain domestic reasons, the main explanatory factor has been Russia’s activities in the Baltic Sea region, especially during the World Wars and the Cold War. Finland and Lithuania have interacted for thousands of years. Research in archaeology, linguistics, ethnology, and genetics has made it possible to prove that the ancestors of Finns and Lithuanians were in fairly close contact, and influences have shifted in both directions. In historical times, ties weakened as the Lithuanian state gradually became more and more oriented towards Poland, and the Finns were correspondingly integrated into the Kingdom of Sweden. [Extract, p. 7]

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