Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė Meets with Albanian President Bajram Begaj
On Monday, Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė met with the visiting President of Albania Bajram Begaj.
"Lithuania and Albania are NATO allies, and both our countries are aware of the scale of Russia's war crimes in Ukraine and its aggression against the West. Lithuania appreciates Albania's contribution to the security of the Baltic region and supports Albania on its path towards EU membership," the Prime Minister said.
The meeting focused on the complex security situation in Europe: Russia's war against Ukraine, the need to support Ukraine and help it win as soon as possible, and the importance of implementing sanctions.
"We need to join forces and defend the world order based on international rules," said Ms Šimonytė.
The meeting stressed the need for NATO members to increase their defence spending, assume greater responsibility for European security and take active steps to respond to Russia's intensifying hybrid aggression aimed at destabilising the situation in the EU, NATO countries, and the Western Balkans.
"Russia is constantly trying to increase its influence in Europe, and more recently, it‘s been increasingly taking kinetic actions on our territory. This aggressor will not stop until its military aggression against Ukraine and hybrid attacks on NATO countries are met with an appropriate response. The response of NATO countries to Russia's hybrid and increasingly frequent kinetic activities must be decisive and coordinated," said the Head of the Lithuanian Government.
The meeting also discussed the prospects for bilateral cooperation between Lithuania and Albania as well as the desire to further strengthen ties between the two countries.