Coronavirus response: Lithuania assists Italy and Spain in response to global pandemic
On 27 April 2020, a plane from the Spanish Air Force took off from the Lithuanian Air Force Base near Šiauliai (Lithuania) to deliver critical medical supplies to Spain, as part of ongoing Allied efforts to contain the COVID-19 pandemic.
The delivery consisted of Lithuanian-made facial protection shields, medical gloves and disinfectant fluid and was provided through a bilateral arrangements between Lithuania and Spain. To date, Spain has received support from several NATO Allies, including the Czech Republic, Estonia, Germany, Turkey, Lithuania, Luxembourg, and Poland; both though the Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre (EADRCC) – NATO’s principal response mechanism - and bilaterally. It has also received assistance from the NATO Support & Procurement Agency, through key relief acquisition and transport.
Last week, Spain notified the Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre that thanks to the support received from Allied countries, medical items that were required at the beginning of the pandemic have now been fulfilled and that for this reason it does not require any additional assistance at the moment from the EADRCC. Spain also stated that it will approach the Centre again, should it require further assistance.
Lithuania has also donated 10,000 masks and respiratory equipment to Italy, through a bilateral arrangement. The delivery was made by truck by the Lithuanian logistics company “Girteka.” Italy has until now received critical support from several NATO Allies, including Albania, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Slovakia, Poland, Turkey and the United States, through various mechanisms, including bilateral forms of assistance and delivery through the Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre.