Other events in Baltic States

Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite will meet with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at the Presidential Palace on Thursday, September 3 at 10:15 a.m. Following their bilateral meeting, at 11:00 a.m, the president and the general secretary will inaugurate a NATO Force Integration Unit (NFIU) at the Joint Headquarters of Lithuanian Armed Forces, the presidency said.

Five more NFIUs established in Latvia, Estonia, Poland, Bulgaria, and Romania will also be officially announced operational tomorrow in Vilnius.

The decision to set up NATO command and control headquarters in Lithuania and five other member states was made at the Wales Summit last year in response to the changed geopolitical environment. This step is part of NATO's package of measures to ensure the security of the Baltic States.

The NFIUs are established to facilitate the deployment of the Very High Readiness Joint Task Force and additional rapid response elements if needed. They will also coordinate allied exercises.

The headquarterrs in Vilnius will staff 40 military personnel from more than 10 NATO member states. It will be commanded by Colonel (Danish Army) Jakob Sogard Larsen with Lithuanian Lieutenant Colonel (Lithuanian Land Forces) Mindaugas Petkevicius acting as second in command.

Grybauskaite and Stoltenberg will hold a joint press conference after the inauguration ceremony.