On April 9 Vice Minister of National Defence Giedrimas Jeglinskas met with Deputy Minister of Defence of the Czech Republic Jakub Landovský. The officials discussed topical security issues, NATO and EU security and defence initiatives, and prospects f cooperation in procurement.
Lithuanian Vice Minister briefed his Czech counterpart on the ongoing modernisation of the Lithuanian Armed Forces, major procurements and infrastructure projects underway. G. Jeglinskas also presented plans of the Ministry of National Defence concerning development of military infrastructure in Lithuania through public-private partnership. “Today soldiers of Lithuanian and the Czech Republic are working together to ensure security of the region. We are trying to provide the best training conditions in Lithuania to our allies and our own soldiers, therefore we are inviting the public and the private sectors to cooperate to reach that goal. Foreign partners are invited as well, including from the Czech Republic,” Vice Minister of National Defence G. Jeglinskas said.
Lithuanian and Czech Ministries of Defence cooperate on the basis of an agreement signed in 1993. The cooperation takes place in NATO and EU formats. The Czech Republic deployed two rotations of the NATO Air Policing Mission in the Baltic states, soldiers with weaponry and equipment to the NATO enhanced Forward Presence Battalion Battle Group in Rukla. Several Czech officers are serving with the NATO Force Integration Unit in Vilnius. Air forces of both countries cooperate particularly closely in different joint air training events. Concerning the cooperation in the area of procurement, footwear of various types was bought for the Lithuanian Armed Forces from a Czech manufacturer for nearly EUR 2 million.
Photo credits: A. Pliadis (MoD)