February 7, Chief of Defence of Lithuania Lt Gen Arvydas Pocius departs for Stockholm (Sweden) where on February 8 he will participate in the Nordic-Baltic Chiefs of Defence meeting.
In the meetings Lithuanian, Danish, Estonian, Latvian, Norwegian, Finnish and Swedish CHODs will discuss security situation in the Baltic Sea and Arctic region, future international military training events, multinational operations, and points of cooperation in seeking more efficient exploitation of resources.
Such meetings take place annually in the member states on a rotational basis. Last year the meeting was hosted by Estonia. The last time the meeting took place in Lithuania was in January 2007.
Lithuania has been developing defence cooperation with the Nordic countries since 1994 when the first agreement on military cooperation with Denmark, a NATO member at that time, was signed. Over four hundred of Lithuanian troops have studied in long-term courses in the Scandinavian countries, the Nordic states continue supporting trilateral projects of the Baltic defence cooperation, Norway and Denmark have been deployed on the Baltic Air Policing mission. The Scandinavian countries also rendered material support in the fields of modernizing weaponry, training military personnel and units inside the country.
Chief of Defence is planned to return to Lithuania on February 9.
Spokesperson to the Chief of Defence Capt Skomantas Povilionis, cell phone 00370 682 25 359
