Some 200 troops from the French Tchad Regiment are deploying to Lithuania at the end of September to join the German-multinational NATO battalion.
Lithuania's Ambassador Nerijus Aleksiejūnas addressed the French troops in Mulhouse, eastern France, on Thursday.
“I came here to thank you and all French soldiers coming to Lithuania for your significant contribution to ensuring security of our region. The presence of French soldiers in Lithuania is a good example of NATO's importance and a unique opportunity to reinforce military cooperation between Lithuania and France,” he said.
It is the first time that the soldiers from the Tchad Regiment will be deployed to Lithuania. Based at a former airbase close to Mulhouse, the 1,200-strong regiment is part of the Third Division of the French Army.
The multinational NATO battalions, the Enhanced Forward Presence (EFP), arrived in the Baltic states and Poland in 2017 following Russia's aggression in the region. French troops were first deployed to Lithuania in 2018.
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