In the run up to the NATO summit next week, the prime ministers of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have called for continued allied military presence in the Baltics.
On Monday, the Baltic prime ministers issued a joint statement, saying that the NATO summit on June 14 would be “a crucial moment for the allies to reiterate NATO’s unity and strengthen the transatlantic bond”.
The statement also highlighted the importance of continued allied military presence in the Baltic states and the need to further strengthen Baltic defence cooperation.
The prime ministers of the three countries reaffirmed the commitment to a strong NATO–EU strategic partnership and to NATO’s open door policy.
The joint statement was signed by Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė and her Latvian and Estonian counterparts Arturs Krišjānis Kariņš and Kaja Kallas.
“We expect the summit to give a clear and strong assessment on the threat posed by Russia and further adapt NATO’s response. Russia seeks to destabilise NATO and undermine the security of NATO allies and partners,” the document said.
“Russia also systematically engages in carrying out illegal operations on Alliance territory, in malign and dangerous cyber activities, disseminating disinformation, interfering in elections, and exploiting divisions within democratic societies,” the Baltic prime ministers said.
They also expressed hope that the allies would “commit to strengthening and modernising NATO’s Force Structure to meet the collective defence requirements to respond to any crisis and conflict”.
The Baltic countries, in their turn, reiterated their commitment to increase defence spending to meet the threshold of 2 percent of GDP.
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