According to the President, decisions to be taken at this NATO summit will have a long-term effect on the security of our country and of the whole region. Lithuania together with other Baltic countries and Poland seek final approval from the allies for the deployment of international battalions in the region, the pre-positioning of military equipment as well as regularly updated defense plans and measures, helping to ensure that, if necessary, NATO reinforcements reach the Baltic countries rapidly.
At the meeting with the leadership of the Seimas committees, the President emphasized that during negotiations on the future of UK-EU relations, Lithuania must be ready to defend the interests of its people and business. Any EU agreement with the United Kingdom must be based on mutual rights and obligations. As Britain seeks to remain part of the EU’s single market, it will have to ensure that the fundamental principles of the free movement of persons, goods, services, and capital are not violated.
As long as the United Kingdom is an EU member, all EU law still applies to it. Therefore, it must protect EU citizens who work and live in its territory against discrimination, violence and incitement of hatred against foreign nationals – these were the topics that the President and other EU leaders discussed with British Prime Minister David Cameron at last week’s European Council summit in Brussels.
After the European Union adopted a unanimous decision to extend sanctions against Russia last week, the meeting also focused on the prospects of the EU’s relations with Russia. Lithuania takes a consistent position that sanctions against Russia must be extended until the Minsk agreements are fully implemented. As violations of the ceasefire continue, any appeasement or attempts to return to normal relations pose a threat not only to the security of Ukraine but also of the whole of Europe.
