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Lithuania, U.S. sign agreement on status of U.S. forces in Lithuania

Xinhua, January 18, 2017 Adjust font size:

Lithuanian and United States officials signed an agreement on Tuesday on the status of U.S. forces deployed on Lithuanian territory.

The document defines in detail the status of U.S. forces deployed on the Lithuanian soil and is the first of its kind between Lithuania and the United States, said the Lithuanian defense ministry.

Lithuanian defense minister Raimundas Karoblis, who signed the agreement, described it as an "historic day for U.S. and Lithuanian strategic partnership".

"We are interested in having a permanent presence of U.S. forces and equipment in Lithuania," Karoblis said.

The agreement on the status of U.S. forces in Lithuania comes more than two years since the first U.S. forces arrived in Lithuania. Since early 2014, rotational U.S. forces have been attending joint military trainings in Lithuania.

Two weeks ago, Lithuanian defense authorities confirmed reports that U.S. special operations forces had been deployed in the country.

Lithuania is a small Baltic state with a population of less than three million. Endit