Defence ministers of the three Baltic States signed a declaration on joint defence of their airspace on the first day of the NATO summit in Lithuania’s capital, Vilnius, on 11 July 2023, LSM reports. According to the declaration, the Baltic States plan to strengthen cooperation in air defence. Also, the three countries will ensure that…
The heads of parliaments of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Germany have signed a joint declaration, calling on the NATO summit in Vilnius to commit to Ukraine’s eventual membership of the alliance, Ukrinform reports. The parliamentary speakers called on NATO allies to work closely together to develop security commitments for Ukraine. At the same time,…
The foreign ministers of the eight Nordic and Baltic countries (NB8) have signed a joint declaration in support of Ukraine’s membership of the EU and NATO, ERR reports. The ministers stated that Ukraine’s future was within the “Euro-Atlantic family.” The declaration said that it was time to use the “Baltic experience of the 1990s” in…
NATO’s new defence plans for the Baltic region mean that the Estonian people will “no longer have to wait to be liberated” if the country is attacked, Estonia’s Prime Minister, Kaja Kallas, stated, ERR reports. Speaking at the NATO summit in Vilnius, Kallas said that NATO would be ready to fight back immediately, which should…
NATO member states have agreed on new defence plans for the Baltic region, LRT reports. The plans mean that if Russia sets foot in the region, “it will be pushed out,” Lithuania’s defence chief, General Valdemaras Rupsys, stated. He said that work was needed to implement the new regional defence plans. Lithuania’s NATO Ambassador, Deividas…
US President Joe Biden met with Lithuania’s President, Gitanas Nauseda, in Vilnius in the morning of 11 July 2023, LRT reports. Speaking at the presidential palace, Biden reaffirmed US commitment to the defence of the Baltic States and to NATO. Biden recalled that he first visited Lithuania in 2014, when he was serving as vice…
The Lithuanian fashion retailer, Apranga Group, posted a retail turnover of EUR 147.6mn (including VAT) in the first half of 2023, which was up 15.6% from the same period of 2022, GlobeNewswire reports. Sales in Lithuania amounted to EUR 89.7mn (up 14.8%), in Latvia to EUR 35.0mn (up 14.5%), and in Estonia to EUR 22.9mn…
Latvia’s President, Edgars Rinkevics, met with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Riga, LETA reports. The two officials discussed the NATO summit in Vilnius, support for Ukraine, the situation in Belarus and Russia, and bilateral economic cooperation. Rinkevics expressed Latvia’s wish for Canada to expand its military presence in Latvia. Canada leads the NATO enhanced…
Canada’s first ambassador to Lithuania, Jeanette Sautner, has taken office on 10 July 2023 after presenting her diplomatic credentials to President Gitanas Nauseda, BNS reports. Nauseda said that the opening of the Canadian embassy in Vilnius would open new opportunities to further strengthen bilateral relations. He thanked Canada for its contribution to strengthening the security…