(BNS) The Lithuanian government should earmark an additional 37.7 million euros for defence spending before the end of this year, Lithuania’s President Dalia Grybauskaite told Finance Minister Rimantas Sadzius in a meeting this morning.
(BNS) The Lithuanian government should earmark an additional 37.7 million euros for defence spending before the end of this year, Lithuania’s President Dalia Grybauskaite told Finance Minister Rimantas Sadzius in a meeting this morning.
“Our economic development allows us to harmonize all decisions that are crucial to the state. We are capable of introducing the euro, and taking care of the most impoverished part of the population. We cannot set defence against social matters – it is incorrect and inconsistent with our country’s security interests,” Grybauskaite said in a press release.
Lithuania’s defence budget now is currently 0.8 percent of the gross domestic product, ranking Lithuania second to last in defence spending among NATO member countries.
Defence Minister Juozas Olekas told BNS that additional money is needed to host and support arriving NATO Allies.
Lithuania signed an agreement in March to gradually raise defence funding to achieve a goal of 2 percent of the GDP in 2020.
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