This is the second meeting of the two Ministers in a week following formal welcoming of the German-led NATO enhanced Forward Presence Battalion in Rukla alongside the President of Lithuania HE Dalia Grybauskaitė on Tuesday.
During the working dinner in Berlin the Lithuanian and the German Defence Ministers focused on the agenda of the NATO Defence Ministers meeting due to take place the following week. They addressed topical matters of security environment and cooperation between NATO allies. “Europe needs a clear leader in this area , I would like to hope, Germany will take up this role,” Minister R.Karoblis said. The Ministers agreed that in the context of changing security environment European countries should pay more attention to defence spending and make sure it is efficiently used, also to strengthen mutual cooperation.
U. von der Leyen shared impressions from her recent meeting with Secretary of Defence of the United States James Mattis in Washington. The German Defence Minister asked for Minister Karoblis’ insight about the threat from Russia on the eastern European Union boundary and the military build-up in Kaliningrad, and invited the Minister to share it at the NATO Defence Ministers meeting as well.
The officials also discussed the deployment of the German-led NATO enhanced Forward Presence Battalion battle group in Lithuania.
Later in the day Minister Karolis placed a wreath of flowers at a memorial in honour German soldiers killed on duty.
On Monday the Minister will proceed to meet with representatives of the Federal Ministries of Defence, Foreign Affairs, Federal Chancellery of Germany and the Bundestag.
R. Karoblis and U. von dėl Leyen will meet again at the NATO Defence Ministers meeting in Brussels on February 15-16 and at the annual Munich Security Conference which will take place immediately after the meeting.
