During his first official visit to Lithuania on March 27 Chief of Defence/Director General of the Security and Defense Directorate of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iceland Jonas Gunnar Allansson and Chief of Defence of Lithuania Lt Gen Valdemaras Rupšys visited the training site of the Nordic-Lithuanian Explosive Ordnance Clearance Course for Ukrainian military to which Iceland contributes instructors and training supplies. Chiefs of Defence were briefed on the training activities, introduced to the Lithuanian and Nordic instructors conducting the project, the trainees, and viewed equipment and explosives used in training.
“We have had a friendly relationship with Iceland since it was the first one to recognize our independence. We have grown stronger in military terms through participation in the multinational operations in Afghanistan, Iceland’s military officers have been serving in NATO units in Lithuania since 2015. Today we are together in another successful project conduct in support of the Ukrainians. This is a tactical training with a strategic meaning. At the same time, it is perfecting of our own troops, through organisations of training courses and through transfer of experience from the frontlines in Ukraine,” Chief of Defence of Lithuania Lt GenV. Rupšys.
Meetings with representatives of the Lithuanian Armed Forces addressed the security and defence cooperation between Lithuania and Iceland, implementation of the decisions taken at NATO Summits to strengthen regional security, and Director General of the Security and Defense Directorate of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iceland Jonas Gunnar Allansson and Commander of the Lithuanian Land Force Brig Gen Artūras Radvilas signed a Memorandum of Understanding agreement.
The formal trip to Lithuania schedule also included a visit to the NATO enhanced Forward Presence Battalion Battle Group in Rukla where a representative of Iceland serves alongside other Allies. Iceland protects its national security via NATO membership and through bilateral cooperation with the United States. In 2021 Iceland joined the United Kingdom-led Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF), further involvement in NATO’s Article 5 (collective defence) operations. The country does not have a regular/standing military capability but lives by the principle of comprehensive approach to security, is a member of major organisations – UN, NATO, OSCE.
Photo credits: SSgt Spc Ieva Budzeikaitė | Lithuanian Armed Forces
