The transformation of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs in the Baltic countries

This article analyses the transformation of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs (MFA) and the nature of changes in the Baltic countries (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania). By applying Brian Hocking's analysis of 'gatekeeper image' and 'boundary-spanner image', the answers to the question of how the MFA in the three Baltic countries adapt to the transformation of the international system in the twenty-first century have been sought. Foreign policy yearbooks, reports, and 48 in-depth interviews with high rank diplomats form the basis of the empirical material of this research.