On September 30 – October 1 Vice Minister of National Defence Margiris Abukevičius conducted a visit to Brussels where he met with representatives of the European Union and NATO. They discussed the pressure China exerted on Lithuania, the new NATO Strategic Concept, and the EU-NATO Cooperation.
The EU security and defence initiatives to be boosted by the Strategic Compass, a new document that sets out EU guidance and practical security and defence objectives, were also addressed.
“We agree to the point that the European Union need to be able to respond to crises and to strengthen its resilience, that is why we need to strengthen the European security and defence initiatives, however, the core element of security in this area is partnership with the U.S. and compatibility with NATO,” said M. Abukevičius at the meetings.
In the discussion with European officials Vice Minister also underlined the hybrid attack directed against Lithuania and other countries in the region by the regime in Belarus, and debriefed them on the overall security situation while stressing that the situation remained tense. The EU officials assured him that the attack was targeting not only Lithuania but the whole European Union, so the union supported and would continue supporting Lithuania and other countries with the tools it had. Vice Minister also underscored the need to strengthen the means of EU response to influence and cyber operations carried out by unfriendly states, to cut down or limit dependence on the investment into critical infrastructure and technology of such countries, primarily, China. The European representatives expressed gratitude for Lithuania’s leadership in the area of cyber security and discussed potential new initiatives in the area.
The meetings also addressed a bigger EU role in the defence sector reform of Ukraine.
“Lithuania and a group of European Union member states support Ukraine’s requested deployment of a EU military mission in the country to facilitate the completion of the needed defence reforms. We are prepared to continue the discussion with other members seeking new ways to use the available EU instruments to back Ukraine on the Euro-Atlantic path it has chosen,” said Vice Minister.
At the meeting with NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoana Vice Minister M. Abukevičius thanked him for appointing a NATO Counter Hybrid Support Team. Vice Minister also said Lithuania hoped that the new NATO Strategic Concept due to be approved at the NATO Summit in Madrid next year would focus heavily on collective defence, and that there would be decisions concerning further enhancement of Alliance deterrence and defence, including the NATO Command Structure adaptation.
NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoana thanked Vice Minister for Lithuania’s contribution to NATO, particularly for upholding the defence budget commitment.
M. Abukevičius also has a meeting with NATO Assistant Secretary General for Emerging Security Challenges Patrick Turner David van Weel and NATO Assistant Secretary General for Operations John Manza. The meeting official s discussed the efforts to strengthen NATO’s deterrence an defence, the Russian-Belarusian Exercise Zapad, aspects of strengthening the Lithuanian and NATO cybersecurity, technology threats and NATO operations.
