At the ceremony, the President said that NATO’s Enhanced Forward Presence in Lithuania and allied high readiness combat capabilities were a significant contribution to strengthening the security of the Baltic States and the whole region.
“Decisions made five years ago and consistently implemented to establish NATO’s Enhanced Forward Presence are a definite success story in ensuring the security of Lithuania and our allies. We are safer now than ever before. Lithuania appreciates the significant contribution of our allies, especially Germany’s leadership in Enhanced Forward Presence. With a rapidly changing security environment, the unity of the allies is particularly important today,” the President said.
According to Gitanas Nausėda, Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty is a core value that underpins the strength of the Alliance. In the face of current geopolitical tensions, this agreement takes on even greater significance.
The President noted that the members of the Alliance needed to invest in their ability to act quickly and decisively within the region. High readiness forces, defense plans and cooperation at the strategic level should therefore remain a priority for the allies.
The President thanked all the countries that had contributed to the missions of the NATO enhanced Forward Presence Battalion Battle Group. During the five years of the mission, about 15,000 troops from Belgium, Croatia, the Czech Republic, France, Iceland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Germany had already trained in Lithuania.
