Speaker of the Seimas: ‘Both NATO membership and the Alliance itself are more important than ever’

Press release, 29 March 2023

On the occasion of the anniversary of Lithuania’s accession to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen, Speaker of the Seimas, says that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has once again shown that the people of Lithuania made a truly far-sighted and strategically correct choice.

‘Finland and Sweden, which have so far pursued a policy of neutrality, have also eventually decided to embark on the path to join the Alliance. Both NATO membership and the Alliance itself are more important than ever, as we are experiencing an assault on democracy and the international rules-based order.

We are now committed to ensuring that the decisions taken at the NATO Summit in Vilnius further strengthen the Alliance’s deterrence and defence policy. The prospect of Ukraine’s NATO membership is also on the top of the agenda of the Summit, and we very much look forward to welcoming a delegation led by the President of Ukraine in Vilnius. I am confident that the Speakers of Parliaments of NATO member countries, whom I have invited to meet in Vilnius this June, will also contribute to the success of the Vilnius Summit, says Ms Čmilytė-Nielsen.

Ilona Petrovė, Spokesperson for Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen, Speaker of the Seimas, tel. +370 5 239 6030, mob. +370 698 42 071, e-mail: [email protected]