Vice- Ministers of National Defence Giedrimas Jeglinskas and Edvinas Kerza on 3-5 September participated at the 29th Economic Forum in Krynica Zdroj, Poland. The topic of this year’s forum is “The Europe of Tomorrow. ”Strong” Meaning What?”. More than 4.500 participants and guests of the event have the opportunity to attend 6 sessions and more than two hundred public expert discussions.
The Vice-Minister G. Jeglinskas in the session “Changing Security Dynamics – New Front Lines, New Military Situations”, which discussed new Cold War threats and new front lines, emphasized that it is important to stay focused on strengthening strategic deterrence without distracting and mixing national priorities with derivative projects”.
“Lithuania’s national security strategy revolves around the concept of deterrence, which we must continue to strengthen by focusing on three key dimensions: strengthening defence capabilities, strengthening bilateral relations and NATO partnerships, and further enhancing the country’s civil society resilience to threats,” said Vice-President G. Jeglinskas.
The issue of regional security was discussed with the retired Commander of the U.S. Army Europe Lt Gen Ben Hodges. G. Jeglinskas stressed the necessity to strengthen partnerships both in the NATO format and in developing smaller-format projects with Lithuania’s strategic partners.
“Geopolitical challenges, tantras of domestic politics, economic uncertainty, fluctuations in financial markets, social tensions – all these facts indicate that times of peace and stability are far ahead. In such environment governments are reasonably looking for faster “victories” and forms of action to secure their elective office. On a conceptual level one such victory could be the trilateral institutionalization of the Polish-Lithuanian-US (PLUS – Poland, Lithuania, US) format. The symbol of PLUS format is the historical hero – Tadeusz Kosciusko, who is recognized by all three countries, but more importantly, the basis of this cooperation is common values and interests, ”said Jeglinskas.
What concerns practicalities of PLUS, the Vice-Minister mentioned the growing US military presence in Poland. “We have a unique opportunity to exploit the military convergence between Poland and the United States in the security and defence sector. The ingoing to Poland US troops will have excellent opportunities for regular training, logistic and combat exercises in Lithuania. Our task is to persuade ourselves and convince our partners that US troops in eastern Poland are part of the entire Suwalki corridor deterrence puzzle”.
Vice-Minister of National Defence Edvinas Kerza in the security forum session “Cyber Security – a Challenge for Europe” stressed that “the nature of threats has changed dramatically in the past five years: criminals used to break into technology and security means, now they are breaking into people’s brains. Social engineering is growing exponentially, and disinformation and plethora of fake news have long been not a surprise for Eastern Europeans”.
The Vice-Minister E. Kerza stressed that “criminals do not care about prohibitions, people’s rights or freedoms, so we often too late fix the gaps they exploit. On the other hand, we are on the right path to establishing European Union and national legal frameworks and cooperation platforms.
The cyber security session participants also discussed future challenges related to 5G mobile technology of the new generation. The session raised the question of whether it is time for Europe to have a “Cyber” Commissioner, proper implementation of accreditation of IT equipment and services – establishment of Cyber Center – was also stressed. In his speech the Vice-Minister E. Kerza highlighted the transformations and courageous steps taken by the European Union and its Member States over the last 15 years in finding new forms in this unequal struggle.
Krynica Economic Forum, also known as “Little Davos”, has been held since 1992 and has already become one of the most important economic events in Europe for political and business elite. Business and political leaders from Central and Eastern Europe gather here in early September.
The aim of the Krynica Economic Forum is to create a favorable environment for the development of political and economic cooperation between the EU Member States and neighboring countries. The Krynica Economic Forum is currently the most important economic conference in Central and Eastern Europe. Members of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania also take part in it.
Photos by economic forum organizers
