The President and members of the North Atlantic Council strongly condemned the brutal terror attacks in Brussels. According to Dalia Grybauskaitė, today terrorism is one of the greatest threats which has no borders. A cruel and unjustifiable war is going on against the people of Europe. The response, therefore, must be resolute through all possible means.
The meeting focused on the preparations for the NATO summit due to take place in Warsaw in July. Allied leaders who will gather in the Polish capital will have to adopt new collective military security and deterrence measures.
"Threats to NATO's security are most clearly seen in the Baltic states. Russia continues to demonstrate its military power and unpredictable behavior in the Alliance's neighborhood. High-readiness combat forces are present at our border and in the Baltic Sea. Therefore, the Alliance must always be strong and well-prepared to respond rapidly and adequately to threats," the President said.
In Warsaw, Lithuania will seek the deployment of a battalion of the allied troops in each of the Baltic states and the pre-positioning of a brigade-sized military equipment unit in the region. Lithuania's objectives also include anti-missile and air defenses to prevent a possible military isolation of the Baltic countries, regularly updated defense plans tailored for real threat scenarios, and an accelerated decision-making mechanism.
According to Dalia Grybauskaitė, NATO is strong if its members are strong. Therefore, we must be prepared to act in our defense. Lithuania has already adopted decisions on the reinstatement of permanent military conscription, established a special readiness rapid response force, continuously increases its defense spending, and modernizes military equipment and national armed forces.
The North Atlantic Council consists of ambassadors from 28 allied countries, permanently residing at NATO's headquarters in Brussels. It is the principal political body which adopts NATO's decisions on collective defense and can activate Article 5 of the Washington Treaty.
