According to the Prime Minister, the strategic partnership between Lithuania and Poland is the most important guarantee that the Baltic states will never remain an island separated from the European community of nations.
According to Skvernelis, we have to continue to strive for the implementation of all the decisions taken at the NATO summits, especially regarding defence plans, increasing and strengthening preparedness, and Baltic air defence.
The meeting stressed the importance of further increasing military mobility. The Rail Baltica project is important from a defence point of view. The new proposal for the EU budget provides for a small amount of EUR 1.5 billion to military mobility. According to the Lithuanian Prime Minister, we have to make concerted efforts to allocate these funds to the Suwalki Corridor region. The importance of military mobility was also confirmed during the quarantine – after the closure of the borders, it was military solutions that ensured the transportation of essential supplies and equipment. This initiative is one of the most successful examples of practical cooperation between the EU and NATO. The main overall goal remains to complete Rail Baltica in 2026.
The meeting closely focused on energy projects. Lithuania is making every effort to protect the Baltic synchronization project from the internal and external disruptions. It was emphasized that Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Poland must direct their diplomatic efforts to ensure sufficient funding for synchronization and its most important project, Harmony Link.
In terms of infrastructure projects, Lithuania and Poland have to continue to work together to ensure that the Via Baltica project is implemented in a timely manner and becomes an exemplary modern and innovative project in the Baltic Sea region. The Baltic states and Poland have to jointly seek to ensure that the EU properly recognizes the importance of the Via Baltica route for the region and provides the necessary funding for the modernization of this artery.
The Prime Minister and the President of Poland emphasized that the measures adopted by the Baltic states and Poland during the coronavirus pandemic had helped maintain the competitiveness of the region’s economies. It has also become a model for other countries facing the negative consequences of a pandemic.
Prime Minister Skvernelis assured President Duda that Lithuania was and would remain a loyal friend of Poland.
President of the Republic of Poland Andrzej Duda presented Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis with the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland. This is the second most important State award of Poland. The Head of the Lithuanian Government was awarded for his contribution to strengthening the dialogue between the two countries. This honourable award has been received by Speaker of the Supreme Council–Reconstituent Seimas Vytautas Landsbergis, Prime Ministers Gediminas Vagnorius and Gediminas Kirkilas, political leaders of other countries, and cultural figures.
