On 8 December in Brussels, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) of the Republic of Lithuania Rytis Martikonis participated in the meeting of the European Union (EU) Intergovernmental Conference, where the future of the European Security and Defence Policy was discussed.
According to Undersecretary Martikonis, the EU-NATO cooperation is properly embedded in the draft Treaty Establishing a Constitution for Europe – the new wording consolidates the transatlantic dimension of the European Defence Policy.
Commenting on the issues discussed at the meeting, Rytis Martikonis reminded that from the very beginning of intense discussions on the draft EU Constitution last spring, the European Security and Defence policy to be one of the key issues for Lithuania.
“We have maintained our opinion that the common European defence efforts do not create an alternative for NATO, but strengthens and supplements it,” the diplomat stated.
According to him, it is also necessary to understand “new ambitions of Europe to act in military and security spheres”.
“While assessing this expression of the EU political will, we should discuss on what conditions Lithuania will be going to participate in the EU structural cooperation in the military sphere,” the MFA Undersecretary indicated.