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The President: Lithuania and Türkiye are committed to working together to strengthen the security of all NATO members

President of the Republic of Lithuania

March 10, 2023

President Gitanas Nausėda met with the President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of Türkiye in Ankara. The meeting focused on security issues in the Baltic and Black Sea regions, preparations for the upcoming NATO Summit in Vilnius as well as prospects for the development of bilateral political and economic relations.

"Lithuania highly values Türkiye's solidarity and contribution to strengthening security in the Baltic region. Türkiye is a key player for security in the Black Sea region. Its support to Ukraine attacked by Russia is extremely important, especially regarding Ukrainian grain exports via Black Sea ports. This is critically relevant not only for Ukraine's economy, but also for the global food market," Gitanas Nausėda underlined at his meeting with the Turkish president.

The Presidents of Lithuania and Türkiye discussed NATO's further assistance to Ukraine, the development of the Alliance and preparations for the NATO Summit to be held in Vilnius on July 11-12.

Gitanas Nausėda emphasized that one of the most important objectives for the Vilnius Summit is to ensure the implementation of decisions taken at the 2022 Madrid Summit to strengthen NATO's eastern flank.

"We need to have new regional defense plans approved ahead of the Vilnius Summit, upgrade NATO's forward presence to brigade size and reinforce air defense in the region. I am delighted that Lithuania and Türkiye are committed to working together to strengthening the security of all NATO members," the President said.

He further underlined that the Alliance must assess very seriously and be ready to respond to all threats, including terrorism along NATO's southern borders. "The security of the Allies is indivisible and must be guaranteed on a 360-degree basis," the President said.

Among the other issues discussed were bilateral relations between Lithuania and Türkiye. With trade between the two countries on the rise, Gitanas Nausėda invited Türkiye to expand cooperation in high value-added sectors.