At the meeting, the President underlined that Lithuania and Finland shared the same values and goals in the Nordic-Baltic family and more broadly within the European Union: respect for human rights and freedoms, democratic principles, geopolitical security in the region, green energy, and infrastructural links between the North and South. Gitanas Nausėda thanked the President of Finland for the support extended during illegal migration crisis orchestrated by the Belarusian regime.
The meeting focused on the security situation in Europe and the Baltic region. The President reiterated Lithuania's strong support for Finland’s membership in NATO. According to Gitanas Nausėda, the accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO will significantly enhance regional security.
“The decisions taken at the NATO summit in Madrid are a clear commitment to substantially strengthen NATO’s deterrence and defense. The implementation of these decisions is critically important and demonstrates the Alliance’s resolve, strength and unity in the face of Russian aggression. We must reinforce NATO’s eastern flank to ensure the security of our entire region,” the President said.
The Lithuanian and Finnish Presidents also discussed Russia’s war in Ukraine and the European response. They agreed on the need to step up pressure on Russia and its accomplice Belarus in the context of preparing the EU’s 9th package of sanctions. They also agreed on the need to further increase military, humanitarian, financial and political support to Ukraine. Views were exchanged on creating a special tribunal to investigate Russian war crimes in Ukraine.
Among the other issues discussed was cooperation within the European Union: energy security and prices, European historical memory, and migration. On energy, the Lithuanian President pointed out that Moscow was using energy supplies as a tool to blackmail Europe and underscored the need to ensure the EU’s energy independence and resilience, agree on EU measures to combat rising energy prices, diversify the EU’s energy sources, and invest in energy security.
Special focus was placed on bilateral relations. According to the President, Finland is an important economic and trade partner of Lithuania. Lithuania and Finland are ready to strengthen their cooperation in the fields of science and innovation, especially in biotechnology, renewable energy, financial technologies, engineering, and logistics.
