October 19, Vice Minister of National Defence Margiris Abukevičius met with a delegation of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives of the Kingdom of the Netherlands headed by MP Agnes Mulder for a discussion on the security situation in the region, hybrid threats, and bilateral and multilateral cooperation.
“We appreciate the persistent contribution of the Netherlands to the security of the Baltic region, especially of Lithuania. The participation of the Dutch military personnel in the NATO Air Policing Mission, NATO Force Integration Unit and the NATO enhanced Forward Presence Battalion is highly valued and appreciated by the Lithuanian people,” Vice Minister said at the meeting.
The Netherlands had strengthened its presence in the NATO eFP with an armour company instead of the usual mechanized infantry company over the course of Exercise ZAPAD 2021. “It has been a particularly important deterrence boost and a clear message of NATO unity to Russia and Belarus as regional security situation remains complex from military perspective,” underscored Vice Minister M. Abukevičius.
Minister also discussed hybrid threats in the region with the guests. “Russia and Belarus have intensified hybrid warfare activities in our region by non-military means, for example, organisations and enablement of illegal crossing of the Lithuanian border, disinformation campaigns, and other,” he said and stressed that the illegal migration direction against Lithuania was an attack in avenge for Lithuania’s active support to the processes of democratization in Belarus.
Vice Minister pointed out that Lithuania was particularly appreciative of the appointment of a NATO Counter Hybrid Support Team to Lithuania in September in response to the situation on the border with Belarus. Recognition of the actions as a directed hybrid attack against Lithuania showcased NATO solidarity and the appointment of the Counter Hybrid Support Team was concrete assistance in our efforts.
Vice Minister also noted the importance of Euro-Atlantic cooperation. “Cooperation between EU member states and NATO allies has never been as important. I thank the Netherlands for the leadership in bringing in third allied countries into the EU PESCO project for military mobility. It is an excellent and valuable example of how we can strengthen the Europe security when we are working together.”
Vice Minister also discussed with the guests the bilateral cooperation between Lithuania and the Netherlands in the area of cyber security. He thanked the Netherlands for becoming a member of the PESCO project coordinated by Lithuania. “We greatly value the Netherlands’ decision to establish the first EU Cyber Rapid Response Team and appoint it on a 12-month rotation , thus contributing to the mutual efforts of strengthening European cybersecurity,” he said.
Photo credits: G. Maksimovizc-Alkema
