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On 29 September in Vilnius, the Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Andrius Krivas and the Chief of Staff of the Italian Army Lt.Gen Claudio Graziano, who is visiting Lithuania, discussed NATO’s Readiness Action Plan, which was approved at NATO’s Wales Summit in 2014, the implementation of the collective security measures and the next NATO Summit in Warsaw.

Krivas thanked the Chief of the Italian Army for contributing to the urgent implementation of NATO’s collective security measures in Lithuania and in the Baltic region. This year, the Italian Air Force took part in NATO’s air policing mission over the Baltic States for the first time. On 1 January 2015, the Italian Air Force deployed at Šiauliai Air Base four Eurofighter Typhoon fighters and a team consisting of a crew and support personnel for eight months. Since 2012, Italy has also participated in the activity of NATO’s Centre of Excellence for Energy Security in Lithuania. This year, the country sent an officer to the NATO Force Integration Unit in Lithuania.

“We highly appreciate the participation of the Italian Army in NATO’s activities in Lithuania. This is an important contribution to security and stability in the Baltic region and to the Alliance’s collective response to the conventional and new threats arising from the Russian aggression against Ukraine, as well as the increased Russian military activity in our neighbourhood and beyond,” said Lithuania’s Foreign Vice-Minister.

During the conversation, the officials also discussed NATO’s further adaptation and preparations for the next NATO Summit in Warsaw in July 2016. Krivas emphasized the need for the Alliance to adapt to the changing security situation, to plan long-term measures for enhancing security of NATO’s eastern flank, and to properly respond to the expectations and efforts of NATO partners who had linked their future security with their prospective membership of the Alliance.

The Chief of Defence of Lithuania Lieutenant General Jonas Vytautas Žukas and the Italian Ambassador to Lithuania Stefano Taliani De Marchio also attended the meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.