Roundup: Lithuania, Germany to increase defense cooperation

Lithuania will start negotiations with Germany for the acquisition of modern artillery systems this May, Lithuanian and German defense ministers confirmed during their joint press conference here on Wednesday.

"We have received a positive answer (from Germany) which will let us start negotiations on an expert level next month," Juozas Olekas, Lithuanian defense minister, said after meeting with his German counterpart Ursula von der Leyen.

The negotiations will lead to the acquisition of much-needed capabilities as soon as possible, he added.

"Lithuania has expressed its wish to buy from Germany 12 self-propelled howitzers, and we have the possibility to supply Lithuania with this weapon," Ursula von der Leyen noted.

Olekas expressed Lithuania's wish to buy howitzers from Germany back in February, during a meeting of EU defense ministers in Riga.

The value of the agreement has not been disclosed. According to the German minister, experts are to agree on this issue.

The possibility to acquire some other weaponry such as infantry fighting vehicles from German manufacturers was also discussed during the ministerial meeting.

Lithuania has been consistently increasing defense financing over the past years. Defense expenditure in the Baltic country is expected to reach 1.46 percent of GDP next year.

Lithuania will purchase the self-propelled artillery systems Panzerhaubitze 2000 from Berlin.

The German howitzer has been developed by Krauss-Maffei Wegmann and Rheinmetall for the German Army. The weapon is one of the most powerful conventional artillery systems deployed in the 2010s.

Lithuanian and German ministers also discussed the security situation in the region, Germany's participation in military exercises held in Lithuania and other issues of security and defense cooperation.

Olekas underscored the immense importance of Germany's military support to Lithuania.

"My German counterpart and I have agreed that the developments in Ukraine have not only changed the settled order in essence but have also given a new drive for our bilateral relations in the area of security, so that we would unify our powers and give an appropriate response to the emerging threats in the Baltic Sea region," Olekas was quoted as saying in a statement released by the defense ministry.

According to the ministry, Germany will have deployed one company with military equipment in Lithuania by July. It will join the combined training with Lithuanian, U.S. and Portuguese soldiers.

Another group of German military personnel will arrive in Lithuania in autumn to take part in Exercise Iron Wolf. The total of over 500 German soldiers is expected to come to Lithuania this year.

"Political and military support from Germany is an extremely important factor in ensuring our security," Olekas stressed.

Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite underlined that the visit of one of the most influential political figures in Germany to Lithuania sent a clear message that Germany as a NATO ally is strongly committed to the Alliance's collective defense obligations. Grybauskaite met with the German minister earlier Wednesday. "The unity and solidarity of NATO allies is the best response to security challenges," Grybauskaite said after the meeting.

The president and the German defense minister also exchanged views on measures to fight propaganda and disinformation.

Lithuania and Germany have been developing defense cooperation since endorsing the first bilateral defense cooperation arrangement in 1994. Endit