Both Ministers expressed a shared view on the security threats in the region. "To ensure that our region is secure, it is important to continue strengthening bilateral and regional cooperation between Lithuania and Finland and to further develop relations in the framework of NATO partnership," Minister J.Olekas said.
Lithuanian Minister expressed a hope that Finland will continue its close cooperation with NATO by being a proactive partner and participant of NATO projects and exercises.
Finland's Minister of Foreign Affairs said that Finland is alarmed by Russia's actions in many regards, just like by information warfare and hybrid threats. Minister Timo Soini expressed a hope that the Baltic states' NATO membership added stability to the entire Baltic Sea region. Minister assured that Finland would continue the close cooperation with NATO and the European Union.
At the meeting Minister J.Olekas welcomed training of Lithuanian and Finnish military personnel in joint military exercises. Lithuanian Minister thanked Finland's Minister of Foreign Affairs for the participation of Finnish air personnel in the routine NATO air policing Baltic region training event in late September in Lithuania. "The training event for air forces aimed at ensuring security of airspace over the Baltic Sea is critical for Lithuania and we are very much interested to continue and expand such training in the future," Minister J.Olekas said.
This October-November military personnel from Finland and Sweden will take part in multinational Exercise Trident Juncture, one of the largest NATO exercises, to be held concurrently in Italy, Portugal and Spain alongside Lithuanian soldiers.
