News

On 12 January in Vilnius, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Linas Linkevičius met with the Deputy Secretary General of NATO Rose Gottemöller and discussed topical NATO and security issues, the implementation of decisions of NATO’s Summit in Warsaw and preparations for the next summit, which would be take place in Brussels this year.

“The transatlantic community is dealing with security challenges, so NATO’s unity and solidarity are more important than ever before,” said Linkevičius.

According to Lithuania’s Foreign Minister, the battalions that will be deployed in the Baltic states and Poland to offer more Enhanced Forward Presence must not just send a signal of deterrence, but also be prepared to defend against aggression. Linkevičius believes that the Allied and Lithuanian forces should be prepared to deal with specific military challenges, which may arise in our region.

Lithuania’s Foreign Minister stressed that Lithuania’s commitment to continue to strengthen its national defence remained strong. Lithuania is also ready to provide all possible assistance and to create the best environment for the battalion that will be deployed in this country.

The meeting discussed NATO’s adaptation. The interlocutors agreed that it was necessary to improve the Alliance’s decision-making mechanism, if a timely response and actions in the event of a crisis were desirable. An accelerated political decision-making must be based on reliable intelligence data and early warning. The Alliance’s political will has to rest on very conventional, nuclear and missile defence capabilities – only this way can we ensure credible deterrence.

Minister Linkevičius and the Deputy Secretary General of NATO also discussed the NATO-Russia relationship. According to the Foreign Minister, the Alliance must maintain a realistic approach towards Russia. “If we assume that the desired things exist, Russia will use the situation to weaken us. Our dialogue with Russia is necessary, but it must be meaningful and help us address such issues, as the situation in Ukraine, and increase military transparency and predictability,” said Lithuania’s Foreign Minister.

“We have to stay true to our values and speak with one voice, leaving no room for doubt about the Allied determination and commitment to collective defence,” stressed Linkevičius.

Gottemöller arrived to Lithuania to participate in the 10th Snow Meeting, which takes place on January 12-13. The meeting brought together high-ranking diplomats, advisers, parliamentarians, experts from analytical and research centres, as well as international and security policy experts from more than 20 countries. The meeting discusses the future of the transatlantic community after the United States presidential election, the Russian challenge to international order based on the values of democracy, the implementation of decisions of the NATO Summit in Warsaw and other issues.