Lithuania’s opposition Democrats “For Lithuania” announced on Thursday their decision to pull out of the parliamentary parties’ defence agreement after the parliament gave its initial backing to the merger of the Public Security Service with the police.
The Democrats slammed “the systematic weakening of Lithuania's security by the interior minister and the government as a whole”.
“We have demonstrated a responsible approach to Lithuania’s security through our actions and we are ready to continue contributing to strengthening Lithuania’s resilience and defence capabilities. We refuse to be part of the ruling block’s two-faced security policy and we are withdrawing from the defence agreement,” the party’s leader Saulius Skvernelis said in a statement.
According to the party, the ruling coalition is “cannibalising the Public Security Service, publicly humiliating the abilities of its staff, and pushing plans to close down the chief police commissariats in Alytus, Marijampolė, Utena, Tauragė, and Telšiai”.
“The ruling coalition’s slogans will not ensure security for Lithuanian citizens, only wise decisions can. Unfortunately, today, the ruling block is demonstrating a complete lack of competence, and it will have a direct impact on the daily security of the Lithuanian people,” it said.
In July of 2022, the leaders of parliamentary parties in Lithuania signed a new national defence agreement, pledging to keep military spending above 2.5 percent of GDP and increase the number of conscripts.
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