Despite the International Criminal Court's arrest warrant for Israel's prime minister over military actions in the Gaza Strip, Lithuania has lessons to learn from the country, Defence Minister Dovilė Šakalienė said following her visit to Israel in April.
In an interview with BNS published on Tuesday, Šakalienė dismissed criticism from some analysts and members of the public about her visit, emphasising her goal of learning from Israel's military experience.
"My job, as defence minister, is more about weapons than foreign policy. And in this situation, I see Israel as one of the key sources for strengthening the Lithuanian Armed Forces," she said.
Israel has recently stepped up its operations in Gaza, describing them as renewed efforts to destroy the Islamist group Hamas.
In response, the United Kingdom has suspended free trade negotiations with Israel. Tel Aviv is also facing criticism from an increasing number of European countries, although the European Union remains divided on the issue.
After meeting with the country's defence minister in April, Šakalienė said the two nations "are united by the fighting spirit".
She was the first Lithuanian defence minister in more than a decade to visit Israel. During her trip, she also met with representatives of the local defence industry to discuss potential cooperation.
"Israel's experience in developing its armed forces is important to us. It is essentially a reservist-based army. [...] Lithuania currently also has a great need to expand its armed forces, its military, and we're looking for ways to increase troop numbers as quickly as possible, with limited infrastructure and personnel resources," the minister said.
"And right now we have very little time, very complex geopolitical circumstances, and unless told otherwise by our president or prime minister, I'm going to draw all useful experience for the Lithuanian military and armed forces from democratic countries that have that experience," she added.
The International Criminal Court last year issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and others, including Hamas military commander Mohammed Deif, over the war in Gaza.
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