Lithuania’s Defense Minister Rasa Jukneviciene in meeting with U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta:

Russia increases military activity along Lithuania’s borders, implements military reform, arranges more military training events, and carries out militarization process in the Kaliningrad Oblast. The regime in Lithuania’s neighbourhood becomes more and more autocratic and oligarchic.

The destroyer ‘Nastoychivy’, one of many in Russia’s huge ‘Baltic Fleet’.

During her visit in Chicago last week Lithuanian Minister of National Defence Rasa Jukneviciene attended a round-table discussion with members of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs (CCGA), met with representatives of the Chicago’s Lithuanian Community, honored the tomb of Gen P. Plechavicius and the memory of pilots S. Darius and S. Girenas, Lithuania’s Ministry of Defence reports.

In a discussion with the CCGA representatives Lithuanian Minister stated that despite the essential changes NATO has undergone during the latter 20 years, the Alliance remains the vital guarantee for Lithuania’s security.

“The Chicago NATO Summit in May will be of utmost importance to Lithuania. Lithuania anticipates positive decisions regarding the extension of the Air Policing mission, accreditation of the Energy Security Centre and NATO missile defence system”, she said.

R. Jukneviciene also remarked she expected an even more intense role of NATO and USA in the Baltic Region due to the region-specific security environment.

“Russia continually increases military activity along Lithuania’s borders, implements military reform, arranges more military training events, and carries out militarization process in the Kaliningrad Oblast,” Lithuanian Minister said. ”The regime in Lithuania’s neighborhood becomes more and more autocratic and oligarchic.”

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