8 October 2021
On 8 October, Sweden’s Minister for Defence Peter Hultqvist welcomed his Lithuanian counterpart, Arvydas Anušauskas, for a bilateral meeting in Stockholm. The security situation in the Baltic Sea region and further cooperation between Sweden and Lithuania were among the items on the agenda.
The two ministers concluded that the security situation in the Baltic Sea region has deteriorated over time.
“Against this backdrop, the Swedish Government’s defence policy since 2015 is intended to increase national defence capability and strengthen international defence cooperation, Swedish-Lithuanian cooperation being one example,” says Mr Hultqvist.
He and Mr Anušauskas discussed Nordic-Baltic defence cooperation as well as other forms of cooperation with a focus on northern Europe, such as the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) and the Northern Group.
Civil defence in the neighbourhood and coordination of civil and military defence – total defence – were also discussed.
“Sweden and the Baltic states have a long tradition of cooperation and shared views on common security challenges. We value the solidarity between us,” says Mr Hultqvist.
In addition, the two defence ministers discussed recent developments in Afghanistan, Mali and Ukraine as well as defence cooperation within the EU.
Shortcut
Source: Swedish Ministry of Defence: https://www.government.se/articles/2021/10/lithuanias-minister-for-national-defence-on-visit-to-sweden/
Recent related materials from Sweden’s Ministry of Defence:
- Letter of Intent concerning The Bilateral Defence Cooperation – 30 September 2021 (Article from Peter Hultqvist, Ministry of Defence)
- Common security challenges and deepened cooperation in focus at EI2 Defence Ministerial Meeting in Stockholm – 24 September 2021 · Article from Peter Hultqvist, Ministry of Defence
- Statement of Intent between the Ministry of National Defence of the Portuguese Republic and the Ministry of Defence of the Kingdom of Sweden – 24 September 2021 · Article from Peter Hultqvist, Ministry of Defence
- Statement of Intent on Enhanced Operational Cooperation – 24 September 2021 · Article from Peter Hultqvist, Ministry of Defence