Sweden has changed its defense policy and would intervene militarily to help its Nordic neighbors and the Baltic states, reports LETA. There is a Swedish declaration of solidarity with our neighbors. There is also an adaptation to the EU Lisbon Treaty coming into force on December 1. The Treaty’s Article 42 provides that if a member state is the victim of armed aggression, the other countries are obliged to provide support. Swedish Minister of Defense Sten Tolgfors said that “We cannot remain silent when an EU country or another Nordic country is threatened. How to act depends on the individual case. It can be anything from civil actions to various types of support, which one of them may also be of a military nature.” In the case of a crisis in the Baltics, Sweden (and Finland, which has a similar solidarity clause) could be a base for NATO forces.
Virgilijus Bulovas and Gintaras Furmanavicius, both former interior ministers, and two head officers of the State Border Guard Service appeared before the Seimas National Security and Defense Committee on Nov. 20 and were questioned on their knowledge of the alleged CIA prison in Lithuania, reports LETA. All denied any knowledge. “There was no such information when I worked there,” said former border guard chief Algimantas Songaila, who served from 1998-2004. He said that every single person entering Lithuania has to pass through border controls, and he would have known if any U.S. officials or detainees had been in the country. Committee chairman Arvydas Anusauskas said the list of people called to appear before his inquiry will grow as the investigation continues. He stated that the investigation will wrap up as per schedule and that clear answers about the alleged secret detention facility will be given. Top-ranking state officials said the investigation is truly needed to bring media speculation to an end.
