Lithuanian PM calls Klaipeda 'national security stronghold'

VILNIUS – Lithuania receives all its main energy supplies through the seaport of Klaipeda, and this trend will only grow in the future, making the region critically important for national security, Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas said on Friday.

"Klaipeda is a national security stronghold because we get gas, oil, and electricity through connections with Sweden, and in the future, we'll have our own wind farms. That's why it's crucial to protect this infrastructure," Paluckas told journalists in the port city, where he took part in a conference on the maritime economy and energy potential. 

According to the prime minister, the government has a number of investment projects and plans for the region, but the state first needs to "make an effort and move forward" with the legal framework.

"Secondly, the state must be ready to share risks – engage in joint projects and public-private partnerships – to speed up project implementation," the government quoted him as saying in a press release.

Paluckas called on businesses to promote joint international defense projects, adding that "the state will be ready to contribute as much as possible – through capital investment or lighter regulation".