Speaking at the opening ceremony of the Session of the Baltic Assembly, the President emphasized that the unity of the Baltic States had strong historical roots. “We can refer not only to the memory of the Baltic Way, which is dear to every Lithuanian, Latvian and Estonian, but also to the Treaty of the Baltic Entente, which was signed long before that, in 1934. All this also helps our countries today to overcome difficult challenges, such as climate change, the upholding of European values, irregular migration, and threats to the security of the region,” the President said.
Gitanas Nausėda stressed that the current geopolitical situation demanded special focus on security issues which had been at the top of the common agenda of the Baltic States in recent years. “We have worked together to ensure that NATO can respond faster and more accurately to the challenges facing the region. Updated defense plans and the presence of our allies in the region will also contribute to this,” the President noted.
According to Gitanas Nausėda, information and cyber threats are increasingly demanding more attention and the Baltic States will need to cooperate even more closely and smarter to counter them. In his speech, the President thanked Latvia and Estonia for their support and assistance to Lithuania in the face of a hybrid attack by the Belarusian regime.
“The launch of the Ostrovets nuclear power plant perfectly demonstrates where the Belarusian regime’s rapprochement with Russia leads to. This geopolitical project poses a direct threat to the security of the entire region. Therefore, it is crucial to agree on preventing unsafely produced electricity from entering our markets,” the President said.
The Lithuanian leader also welcomed the successful examples of cooperation between the Baltic States which promote economic and social integration of the entire region, such as the Rail Baltica project and the creation of the Baltic capital market. According to Gitanas Nausėda, the new European railway will become a significant part of the strategic infrastructure of the Baltic States and will contribute to achieving the goals of the green agenda, while the common capital market will bring greater financing opportunities for our businesses, especially small and medium-sized enterprises, which are the backbone of our economy.
The Baltic Assembly is a platform, established three decades ago, for international cooperation between the parliaments of Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia. This year, Lithuania holds the presidency of the Baltic Assembly.
