NATO Deputy Secretary General Ambassador Alexander Vershbow and the 28 ambassadors of the North Atlantic Council arrived in Vilnius on Wednesday (23 March 2016) to discuss the Alliance’s adaptation, modern defence, and new security challenges. During their two-day visit, they will hold meetings with President Dalia Grybauskaitė, Foreign Minister Linas Linkevičius and Defence Minister Juozas Olekas.
The North Atlantic Council will visit the Rukla military training area on Thursday (24 March 2016), where Lithuanian and American troops train side-by-side. They will also meet the Commander of the Lithuanian Land Force, Major General Almantas Leika, and the Commander of the U.S. Army Europe, Lieutenant General Ben Hodges, to discuss the future of NATO‘s enhanced forward presence in the eastern part of the Alliance.
The visit of the North Atlantic Council takes place on the eve of the 12th anniversary of Lithuania‘s accession to NATO. Since then, Lithuania has made important contributions to the Alliance‘s shared security, including through participation in NATO missions in Afghanistan and Kosovo and by hosting a NATO Force Integration Unit as well as NATO‘s Energy Security Centre of Excellence.
During the visit the Deputy Secretary General and NATO ambassadors will also watch a military demonstration. They will also visit to the Pažaislis monastery.