Lithuania and Ukraine enhance military ties thanks to Bilateral Cooperation Plan 2015

Defence & Security News - Lithuania & Ukraine
 
 
Lithuania and Ukraine enhance military ties thanks to Bilateral Cooperation Plan 2015
On January 28 Lithuania's Vice Minister of National Defence Marijus Velicka and Lieutenant General Leonid Holopatiuk, Deputy Defence Minister of Ukraine, signed the Bilateral Cooperation Plan 2015 of Lithuania and Ukraine during Lithuanian Defence Vice Minister’s visit in Kyiv.
     
Lithuania and Ukraine enhance military ties thanks to Bilateral Cooperation Plan 2015 640 001 Ukrainian, Lithuanian and Polish troops ride armored vehicles during joint exercise near Vilnius
     
The plan maps out further invitation of Ukrainian officers to study at the English language and staff officer courses at the Military Academy of Lithuania, and Ukrainian NCOs – at the international military instructor course at the Lithuanian Armed Forces School, arrangement of consultations for Ukrainian colleagues on the development of cyber defence system and to share experience in the area of military medicine.

Lithuania also plans to continue rendering assistance to Ukraine this year by further inviting injured participants of Ukraine’s Anti-Terrorism Operation (ATO) to undergo rehabilitation in Lithuania.

Exercise Maple Arch of Lithuania, Poland, Canada and Ukraine for training staff personnel of the trilateral Lithuanian-Polish-Ukrainian Brigade is planned to take place in Lithuania this November for developing military cooperation of NATO allies and Ukraine.

Just like last year, Lithuanian military will participate in the U.S. Army in Europe-organised Exercise Rapid Trident in Ukraine.

While on visit in Kyiv Vice Minister of National Defence Marijus Velicka also took part in an international conference on NATO-Ukraine relations and took part in the ceremony of transferring the functions of the NATO Contact Point Embassy in Ukraine to the Lithuanian Embassy for 2015-2016.

This NATO Contact Point Embassy will make its contribution to the ultimate integration of Ukraine into a European and Euro-Atlantic family of nations. The next two years are going to be critical in this regard,” Vice Minister of National Defence Marijus Velicka stated at the conference.

I have no doubt that this will be a very busy NATO Contact Point Embassy. Nowadays, Kyiv has become important centre for international diplomacy,’ M.Velicka said. “The tasks of the Embassy are important tasks, which may have a direct impact on policy decisions taken here in Kyiv and in the capitals of the NATO countries. I would even dare to say that NATO Contact Embassy in Kyiv is probably the most important in the Alliance network of such Embassies.

The Lithuanian Embassy in Ukraine will be representing NATO as of the beginning of this year for two year to come as a NATO Contact Point Embassy in Ukraine replacing the Diplomatic Representation of Poland in the role.

The key tasks of a NATO Contact Point of Embassy are to disseminate information of Alliance activities and policy, arrange educational events, maintain relations with NATO institutions, and to cooperate with governmental institutions and non-governmental organisations of Ukraine.