Joint press point

President Grybauskaitė, it is great to be back in Lithuania. On behalf of the North Atlantic Council, I thank you for your warm welcome. And for Lithuania's strong commitment to this Alliance and as a resident of Brussels, let me also thank you for the solidarity you have expressed today.

Next week will mark twelve years since Lithuania joined NATO, alongside your Baltic neighbours and four other Allies. And in this relatively short time, you have made major contributions to our shared security.

Lithuanian troops help build security in Afghanistan and Kosovo. You host the Energy Security Centre of Excellence here in Vilnius. And your commitment to boost defence spending in the years ahead shows great leadership.

You also boost the Alliance's defence and deterrence by hosting a NATO Force Integration Unit.

This small headquarters that were one of the decisions taken at the Wales Summit.

This small headquarters links Lithuanian and multinational Allied forces. It will help us deploy quickly for exercises, or in response to real threats, if that becomes necessary.

This is part of the Alliance's adaptation to a new and more challenging security environment.

Here in Vilnius, the North Atlantic Council is assessing how far we have come, and what more we need to do. Looking to the Warsaw Summit in July, and beyond. And we have discussed in-depth some of the key issues for Warsaw, including the question of enhancing the forward presence together with more effective capacity for reinforcements.

This afternoon, we will visit the Military Training Area at Rukla. Where Lithuanians and Americans are training side-by-side. And German troops will rotate in next month.

This is a concrete example of Europe and North America standing strong together. And demonstrating a trans-Atlantic commitment to Lithuania's security.

Twenty-six years ago this month, Lithuania declared its independence from the Soviet Union.

Today, Lithuania is in NATO, and NATO is in Lithuania.

And together, we are committed to ensuring you will never lose your freedom again.

Thank you very much and I look forward to your questions.