It was accentuated in the discussion that Russia was using any exercises held by NATO and its partners for hostile propaganda purposes, therefore proactivity was needed in providing public information about the military exercises held in the countries to strengthen defensive capabilities and to deconstruct the lies escalated by Russia. “The exercises held in our region is one of the key element of deterrence that demonstrates NATO solidarity and preparedness to defence the Baltic states in the event of aggression, therefore a better communication among ourselves on the planned and executed exercises would strengthen the unified response and weaken Russia’s ability to spread disinformation,” Minister of National Defence Raimundas Karoblis underscored at the meeting.
Russia and its increased military power was unanimously named as the biggest threat in the region that required a unified response. R. Karoblis stressed that sanctions would have to continue, military capabilities would have to be strengthened and effective crisis management would have to be ensured in order to diminish the Russian threat.
Ministers also took part in a decision-making exercise to test the countries’ ability to host large-scale force deployed to the region in case of a crisis or military aggression. Particular focus was placed on the procedures regulating military mobility, infrastructure and transport capabilities needed to host the force in the region. Simplified movement of military forces among NATO and European Union countries is high on NATO and EU agenda: time-consuming and bureaucratised procedures regulating military movement are sought to be optimised to make sure forces are deployed within a minimal notice in case of a crisis.
“Lithuania has simplified the procedures and is now ready to grant permission for incoming forces within a very short time. It is particularly important that all countries with an important role in hosting allied forces in the region do the same. We are ready to share our best practices in this job,” R. Karoblis said. Minister underscored that it was not only necessary to simplified the procedures but also to rehearse them through exercises, including the infrastructure and transportation capabilities available.
On November 13-14 the meetings in the Nordic-Baltic and the Northern Group formats also addressed the recently concluded Exercise Trident Juncture 2018, security in the North-Eastern region, challenges posed by Russia, European security initiatives, and cooperation in strengthening Eastern Partnership countries’ capacity in security area.
The Northern Group format meetings are traditionally attended by top defence officials of Germany, United Kingdom, Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Norway, Netherlands, Finland, Sweden, and Iceland. The meetings are an efficient platform for defence cooperation that allows Lithuania to share its insights on defence and security agenda, evaluate partners’ perspective, and propose new initiatives to strengthen regional security.
After the meetings in Oslo, Minister R. Karoblis will take part in the Halifax International Security Forum on November 16-18.
