BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 24. Lithuanian Minister of National Defence Dovilė Šakalienė rubbed shoulders with the bigwigs at the NATO Summit in The Hague, which is set to run from June 23 through 25, as part of the official delegation led by the President of the Republic of Lithuania, Trend reports.
This year's summit underscored the paramount importance of
collective defense paradigms, strategic deterrence frameworks, and
a heightened commitment among allied nations to escalate defense
expenditure to 5 percent of GDP.
Core focal points deliberated at the summit encompassed fortifying
the defense sector, propelling transatlantic synergies, and
optimizing military support architectures.
Minister Šakalienė participated in the North Atlantic Council's
strategic working dinner convened for defense ministers, following
an invitation extended by Dutch Minister of Defence Ruben
Brekelmans. The exclusive convening functioned as a nexus for
enhanced political discourse and tactical synchronization regarding
collective security imperatives.
She additionally engaged in the NATO Matters public awareness
initiative in conjunction with Minister Brekelmans, a synergistic
endeavor aimed at elucidating the critical importance of NATO's
function in both regional and global security paradigms.
Furthermore, Šakalienė articulated a pivotal keynote address at a
summit week gala, orchestrated by the Geopolitics and Security
Studies Center in collaboration with its global affiliates.
At the NATO Summit Defence Industry Forum—an integral event of the
week—Šakalienė engaged in a strategic panel aimed at fortifying
NATO–industry synergies and enhancing transatlantic industrial
collaboration. The convened plenary session focused on urgent
capability requirements and avenues for enhanced synergies between
NATO allies and defense industry stakeholders.
In a pivotal advancement in operational defense collaboration, the
summit encompassed the formalization of a memorandum regarding the
manufacturing of medium-caliber munitions within the jurisdiction
of Lithuania. The contractual arrangement was executed among the
Ministry of Finance of Lithuania, the Ministry of National Defence,
the US defense contractor Northrop Grumman, and the Norwegian
munitions producer NAMMO.
Minister Šakalienė also conducted bilateral engagements with NATO
counterparts and took part in a reception convening foreign and
defense ministers, thereby fortifying Lithuania’s strategic
alliances within the Alliance framework.
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