Lithuanian PM to meet Scholz, take part in regional security discussion in Berlin

VILNIUS – Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte is to meet with Chancellor Olaf Scholz and business representatives and take part in a discussion as part of her visit to Germany on Wednesday and Thursday. 

Simonyte is scheduled to meet with members of Bio Deutschland, the country's biotechnology sector association, and attend an annual event of the German Federal Association of Medium-sized Businesses, the Lithuanian government has said. 

The program of the visit also includes a discussion with Germany's security and foreign policy expert community and interviews with the country's media.

The meetings will focus on regional security, support to Ukraine, stepping up economic cooperation between Lithuania and Germany, and other issues related to bilateral relations development.

Berlin and Vilnius have agreed on the permanent deployment of a German brigade in Lithuania. This is planned to be done by 2027, with a total of around 5,000 troops and civilians expected to relocate to Lithuania. 

In preparation for hosting the brigade, infrastructure being put in place for thousands of German military personnel and their families.

The German troops are being deployed in Lithuania in response to the increased Russian threat in the wake of the Kremlin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.