Sánchez stresses Spain's commitment to common defence and to the security and territorial integrity of allies in Lithuania

Vilnius (Lithuania)

The President of the Government said to Nausėda that: "The Šiauliai base unmistakably symbolises the excellent cooperation and commitment between our two countries, and of Lithuania and Spain to Europe as a whole."

Bilateral relations between Spain and Lithuania are based on EU and NATO membership and our commitment to Baltic security and airspace. Spain is currently in charge of the 56th rotation of the Baltic Air Police at the Lithuanian base in Šiauliai, where it has 130 military personnel and seven Eurofighters from the 14th Wing in Albacete. Spain has also contributed to NATO's 'Brilliant Jump 20' exercises, the second ground phase of which took place in Lithuania in November 2020.

During his visit to the NATO base, Sánchez was able to corroborate the "important work" of the Spanish contingent in this mission, in which Spain has been involved since 2006. During these years, Spanish military and aircraft have been deployed four times in Lithuania, twice in Estonia and once in Romania.

The head of the Executive pointed out that the Spanish mission is the "clearest example of Spain's commitment to NATO and to the security of all the allied countries, because the security of one is the security of all".

The president recalled Spain's links with NATO, which Spain joined 40 years ago, and for which 125,000 soldiers have been deployed in multiple operations in recent years. Spain will host the next NATO Summit in 2022 in Madrid.

During their meeting, the leaders noted the strength of the joint action of Spain and Lithuania because, according to Sánchez, "it sends a strong message of integration and of a European future".

'Alpha scramble' Alert

During the visit of President Sanchez and President Nausėda to the Šiauliai base, a real alert - known as the 'Alpha scramble' Alert - was triggered by at least one unidentified aircraft being identified in Baltic airspace. For this reason, two Spanish Eurofighters took off from the NATO base to identify them.

This relatively common occurrence highlighted the importance of Spanish military and aircraft being deployed in the area to contribute to the security of all allied countries.

Strengthening trade relations with Lithuania

Pool Moncloa/Fernando CalvoAfter the visit to the base, the president met with the Prime Minister of Lithuania, Ingrida Šimonytė, with whom he discussed bilateral relations, especially in the economic and trade fields. During the meeting, the two leaders noted that the respective national recovery and resilience plans share common themes such as: green transformation, digital transformation, health, social affairs, science and innovation, education; and public administration.

Trade relations between Spain and Lithuania, although with room for improvement, are good, and have improved in recent years, with the increased presence of Spanish companies in Lithuania. In this sense, bilateral relations could be expanded in sectors such as infrastructure and offshore wind farms. In 2020, Spain exported more than 387 million euros and we imported almost 390 million euros from Lithuania, and Spanish investment in the country reached more than 77 million euros in 2020, while Lithuanian investment in Spain stands at 4.4 million.

After the bilateral meeting, Sánchez and Šimonytė visited the historic centre of the Lithuanian capital, a tour that ended at Vilnius University, where both leaders greeted the rector.

The three-day trip to the Baltic States will conclude with a meeting with the President of the Lithuanian Basketball Federation, Arvydas Sabonis, and a meeting with Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who is in exile in Lithuania.

Non official translation