On April 15 the two-day meeting of the Baltic Military Committee which was held in Kaunas Garrison Officers Club and chaired by Chief of Defence of Lithuania Maj Gen Arvydas Pocius. Along with Lithuanian part Chief of Defence of Latvia Maj Gen Raimunds Graube and Chief of Defence of Estonia Lt Gen Ants Laaneots with delegations took part in the meeting.
The main focus of the meeting was defence cooperation of the Baltic States. Among points discussed there was implementation of the Baltic Air Policing mission, Baltic Defence College and joint Baltic projects - BALTNET and BALTRON. The meeting Chiefs of Defence also addressed multinational training events in the Baltic Region.
„Cooperation of the Baltic States in joint projects, like BALTRON, BALTDEFCOL, BALTNET, NATO Air Policing, and duty in the NATO Response Force, was not only very useful for ensuring security in the region but also created good conditions for integration of military structures, save on resources and train military capabilities", said Maj Gen A.Pocius in the beginning of the meeting.
When addressing collective challenges, such as small military power or limited financing, Lithuanian Chief of Defence expressed a hope that the Baltic States will be able to continue successful cooperation by standing shoulder to shoulder and sharing experience, knowledge and resources.
During the meeting of the Baltic Military Committee a common logotype proposed by the Lithuanian side was approved. The logotype is also submitted for using for Chiefs of Staffs' and Defence Ministers' meetings.
„We have been referring to the three Baltic States as 3Bs or „three bees" for a long time. And bees are known to be tireless, devoted and self-sacrificing workers. These are also the advantages of the Baltic cooperation, I think. So an idea came to monumentalize cooperation of our countries through the image of three bees", Maj Gen A.Pocius explained.
In the meeting the Baltic-Nordic cooperation project NORDEFCO (Nordic Defence Cooperation) was also touched upon. NORDEFCO involving Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Iceland, and Norway, is aimed at strengthening national defence of the participants, setting directions of common activity, and facilitate the joint decision-making process.
After the signing the meeting document Chief of Defence of Lithuania Maj Gen A. Pocius invited participants of the meeting to visit Vytautas the Great War Museum of Lithuania and familiarise with military history of Lithuania.
By tradition Baltic Military Committee meets biannually on a rotational basis in one of the Baltic States. This year it was the first time the meeting was held in Kaunas Garrisson Officers' Club, a historical venue for Lithuania's officers. The following meeting is planned to be held in Estonia this autumn.
Spokesperson to the Chief of Defence Capt Tomas Balkus, office phone 00370 5 278 5091, mobile 00370 682 25 359
Picture by Alfredas Pliadis (MoND)