“We thank France for the support and solid contribution to strengthen the security of the Baltic region – the French military have employed eight rotations of the NATO Air Policing Mission in the Baltics to date, and you are also actively contributing in the NATO enhance Forward Presence Battalion Battle Groups in Lithuania and Estonia, as well as in military exercises,” Minister A. Anušauskas said.
After praising the tight military cooperation, A. Anušauskas went on to thank for the humanitarian assistance France had extended to manage the illegal migration. The hybrid attack conducted by the Belarusian regime and the intensified attempts of the migrants to cross into Poland from Belarus were also among the topics at the meeting.
Minister and Ambassador Everard discussed Lithuania’s plans to begin contributing to the French-led Task Force Takuba too. A. Anušauskas confirmed to Ambassador there was political consensus in Lithuania that the Lithuanian military would join the operation in Mali: the new deployment mandate approved at the Seimas foresees deployment of up to 30 military and civilian personnel, as well as basic operational capabilities, to Task Force Tacuba in 2022.
A. Anušauskas and Ambassador also touched upon the relevant aspects of the NATO and EU agendas and the possibility to launch an EU-led military mission in Ukraine.
