On October 9-10 Chief of Defence of Lithuania Lieutenant General Jonas Vytautas Žukas will discuss topical issues of regional security with his Estonian, Latvian and Finnish counterparts in Helsinki, Finland.
At the meeting in the Defence Staff of the Finnish Armed Forces Chiefs of Defence will be briefed on the security situation of Finland, the country's military capabilities and plans of their development, and international operations Finland is contributing to. Generals will discuss security threats and ensurement of stability in the region, defence cooperation between Finland and the Baltic states, and implementation of the NATO Readiness Action Plan in the region.
This is the first meeting of its kind. So far, the Baltic Chief of Defence used to meet with the Chief of Defence of Finland several times per year: twice at the meetings of the European Union Military Committee and once at the Baltic-Nordic Chiefs of Defence meeting.
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Legal basis for Lithuania's defence cooperation with Finland was provided in 2001. In 2000 and 2002 the Finnish Armed Forces donated dummy ammunition and rifle ammunition to the Lithuanian Armed Forces. In 2007 Finnish company Oy Sisu Auto AB sold SISU E11T modern high-mobility multirole armoured trucks to the Lithuanian Armed Forces. Finland also takes part in the activities of the Baltic Defence College (BALTDEFCOL): where one Finnish lecturer is currently a part of the academic staff.
Finland's military personnel took part in several military exercises in Lithuania, such as Amber Hope in 2003, 2007 and 2011 and Saber Strike in 2013 (and in 2014 in Latvia). In its turn, Lithuania send military personnel to Nordic Peace and Cooperative Knowledge in Finland in 2003.
Since 2012 Finland's air assets take part in the Baltic Regional Training Events (BRTEs) since 2012. Ships of the Lithuanian and other Baltic states' navies took part in international crisis response exercise Northern Coasts in the territorial waters of Finland last year.
Spokesperson for the Chief of Defence of Lithuania Captain Mindaugas Neimontas
Telephone no. 00370 5 278 5091, 00370 682 25359, e-mail: mindaugas.neimontas@mil.lt
