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The President opened the Lithuanian-Polish Defense Industry Forum

President of the Republic of Lithuania

September 05, 2024

As part of his official visit to Poland, President Gitanas Nausėda opened the Lithuanian-Polish Defense Industry Forum in Warsaw on Thursday together with Polish President Andrzej Duda.

In his opening address, the Lithuanian leader highlighted that, due to the active cooperation between Lithuania and Poland and the strengthening of political and personal ties, bilateral trade between the two countries has increased by more than 50% over the past five years, while bilateral foreign direct investments have grown by over 80%. He also noted that the defense industries of both countries have excellent prospects for closer collaboration.

Gitanas Nausėda noted that Lithuania and Poland, with their rich common history and deep manufacturing traditions, face the same geopolitical instabilities and common security threats.

"In today's world—and especially in today's Europe—defensive capabilities are what really matters. By now, we must all know that Russia will not stop—it can only be stopped," the Head of State underlined.

The President stressed the need to step up efforts to provide Ukraine with adequate support for its defense. Lithuania's defense funding stands at 3.2% of GDP this year, and the country's support for Ukraine since the beginning of the war amounts to around 2% of GDP, with more than half of that being military aid.

"We are eager to strengthen the deterrence and to help Ukraine to win this war. For this, we will need ever more ammunition, military technologies and equipment," Gitanas Nausėda said.

The President pointed out that the Lithuanian defense industry is ready to play its part. As Lithuania's defense ecosystem evolves, employment in this industry is growing at a rate of 14% annually. The successful application of high-tech and engineering expertise is driving to the development of the most in-demand technologies tested on the battlefield. Lithuanian companies apply cutting-edge technologies to manufacture lasers, optics, electronics, anti-drone devices and unmanned aerial vehicles. Additionally, Lithuania's cyber security sector is marked by deep knowledge and recognized internationally. The arrival of German defense giant Rheinmetall alongside the agreement to deploy the German brigade in Lithuania also mark a new era for national defense industry.

"I have no doubts that Lithuanian businesspeople—agile, smart, and innovative—are more than ready to dive into much closer business cooperation with their Polish counterparts. Let the partnership between our two nations further strengthen the deterrence against common enemies. Let it build our joint military potential and bring common economic benefits to all of us," the President spoke.

The Lithuanian-Polish Defense Industry Forum brings together over 70 defense industry companies and organizations from both countries. During the forum, memoranda of cooperation were signed between the Lithuanian Defense and Security Industry Association and the Polish Defense Industry Association, the Lithuanian Confederation of Industrialists and the Polish Confederation Lewiatan, the National Defense Industry Association and the Polish Defense Industry Association, as well as between the Lithuanian Digital Technology Association Infobalt and Poland's Defence24.

The President's Communication Group