NATO - North Atlantic Treaty Organisation

11/28/2021 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 11/28/2021 05:35

Joint press conference with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, the President of the European Commission, Ursula Von der Leyen, President of Lithuania, Gitanas Nausėda and[...]

President Nausėda, Prime Minister Šimonytė,

It is always a pleasure to be Vilnius. And to be here with you, President Ursula von der Leyen.

We have just addressed the security challenges on Lithuania's border, and across the wider region.

The Lukashenko regime is exploiting vulnerable people to put pressure on neighbouring countries. This is inhumane and cynical.

No NATO Ally stands alone. All Allies have expressed solidarity with Lithuania. And we have provided practical help.

NATO recently deployed a team of experts to Lithuania to share information, analysis, and experience in countering hybrid threats.
We are also in contact with partner countries that may be used for transit. And I welcome their efforts.

This crisis affects both NATO and the European Union. Lithuania is a member of both organisations. So it is important for President von der Leyen and me to be here together today.

NATO and the EU work together on a range of security issues, including countering hybrid threats. And today we discussed how we could step up our joint work, including through a new Joint Declaration. Because we are stronger and safer when we work together.

We also discussed Russia's unexplained and unjustified military build-up near Ukraine. We call on Russia to be transparent, reduce tensions, and de-escalate.

NATO remains vigilant.

We stands ready to defend all Allies. And we will continue to provide our partner Ukraine with political and practical support.

NATO Foreign Ministers will meet in Riga on Tuesday. They will assess the security situation, including with their Ukrainian and Georgian counterparts.
Our support to partners is not a threat to Russia. And it helps them defend themselves against aggression.

NATO's dual-track approach to Russia - defence and dialogue - remains unchanged. The Alliance proposed to hold another meeting of the NATO-Russia Council over 18 months ago. That proposal stands - the ball is in Russia's court.

At the same time, NATO continues to deliver strong deterrence and defence. Our battlegroup in Lithuania, and the others in Estonia, Latvia and Poland help to deter any aggression.

So, President, Prime Minister. Thank you again for Lithuania's valuable contributions to our shared security.

President von der Leyen, I look forward to continuing our work together.