Baltic countries share common stance on threats to their region – Lithuanian president

VILNIUS – The Baltic countries share a common stance on the emerging threats to the region, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda has said.

“The views of the Baltic States in assessing the regional threats coincide completely. NATO’s collective defense and deterrence task must be implemented effectively. This is particularly important now that we are witnessing unprecedented security incidents and provocations at NATO’s Eastern borders,” he said after a remote coordination meeting held on Wednesday with the leaders of Latvia and Estonia ahead of the NATO summit in Brussels on June 14.

Nauseda, Latvian President Egils Levits and Estonia’s Prime Minister Kaja Kallas discussed their national positions on the most important points of the NATO summit agenda, the presidential office said in a press release.

The issues discussed included the security situation in the region, relations with Eastern neighbors, and implementation of NATO 2030 strategic concept.

Nauseda stated that Russia remained a major long-term threat not only to the Baltic region but to the entire Alliance as well.

According to him, the unpredictability of unfriendly neighbors can only be counteracted by strengthening military and civilian capabilities and by investing in the Alliance’s defense.

The meeting discussed NATO’s “open door policy”, highlighting the necessity to step up political and practical assistance to Ukraine and Georgia – Eastern partners with Euro-Atlantic aspirations.

Concerning the implementation of NATO 2030 strategic concept, the Baltic leaders stressed the importance of continued adaptation of NATO to meet global threats and challenges, where allies acting collectively were able to ensure the security of the entire Euro-Atlantic area.