Minister of National Defence R. Juknevičienė will participate in a NATO Defence Ministers’ meeting

On February 2 and 3 Minister of National Defence Rasa Juknevičienė will attend NATO Defence Ministers’ meeting in Brussels. At the meeting Defence Ministers of NATO countries will discuss the progress and future perspectives of NATO operations in Afghanistan and Kosovo. Furthermore, Defence Ministers will address changes of defence strategies, NATO Command Structure Reform and Smart Defence.

Together with the Estonian and Latvian colleagues R.Juknevičienė will take part in a meeting with US Defence Secretary L. Panetta.

R. Juknevičienė will also attend bilateral meetings with Defence Minister of Italy and Hungary where NATO Response Force’s exercises planned to take place in the Baltic States and Poland in 2013 will be addressed. The Lithuanian Defence Minister with her Nordic and Baltic counterparts is also foreseen.

After the NATO Defence Ministers meeting R.Juknevičienė will go to Munich (Germany) to take part in the annual Security Conference held from February 3 to 5. Together with the Heads of State, foreign and defence ministers of other countries R. Juknevičienė wil address the most relevant points of international security.

The Lithuanian Minister and her delegation is expected to return to Vilnius on Sunday.

Ugnė Naujokaitytė, PR Advisor to the Minister of National Defence. Phone 00370 5 273 5520, cell phone 00370 640 45376