The ceremony was attended by Vice Minister of National Defence Vytautas Umbrasas, Ambassador of Turkey HE Aydan Yamancan, representatives of the Ministry of National Defence and the Lithuanian Armed Forces.
The Defence Attaché of Turkey is based in Riga (Latvia) and is accredited to three countries: Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. Lithuania does not accredit a defence attaché to Turkey.
Col V. E. Acar graduated from the Turkish War Academy. Prior to the appointment as Defence Attaché to the Baltic states, he was chief of technical aircraft maintenance at the Air Technical School in Izmir.
Defence cooperation between Lithuania and Turkey is carried out in accordance to agreements of Lithuanian and Turkish Governments on contacts and cooperation in military technology and science, military training and defence industry.
Lithuanian soldiers attended different courses delivered at Turkey’s military education institutions: cyber terrorism response, crisis management, law of armed conflict, etc.
Turkey has also deployed a rotation of the NATO Air Policing Mission in the Baltic States. The Turkish air detachment was protecting Baltic airspace from the Šiauliai Air Base with four F-16 Fighting Falcons in April-July of 2006.
Turkey is one of the nations that took part in the establishment of the NATO Energy Security Centre of Excellence (NATO ENSEC COE) in Vilnius in 2012 alongside Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. Currently, a military representative of Turkey works at the NATO ENSEC COE.
