Two senior German parliamentarians have expressed support for a plan to deploy 4,000 Bundeswehr soldiers in Lithuania as part of efforts to protect NATO’s eastern flank, dpa and Agerpres reported.
The Chair of the Defense Committee of the German Parliament, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, and the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Armed Forces, Eva Högl, expressed support for this promise by German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, also emphasizing the importance of this commitment. both for Germany and its Baltic allies.
“In principle, this is the right signal that Germany wants to strengthen its presence in Lithuania,” Strack-Zimmermann told dpa when asked about “how realistic” it is to deploy a German brigade in the Baltic country by 2026. it must first be approved by the German parliament, she emphasized.
Lithuania’s infrastructure leaves much to be desired, added Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann. “The (military) barracks are from Soviet times, the military capabilities of the training areas are severely limited,” Strack-Zimmermann said.
Adequate housing, schools, kindergartens and shopping facilities, as well as teachers and educators are needed, she added.
The head of the Defense Committee of the German Parliament also emphasized that the deployment of troops should be voluntary, adding that there are certainly young people in the German army who would be interested in this opportunity.
For her part, Eva Högl said that the deployment of German troops in Lithuania would give a “strong signal” of Germany to its allies and emphasize “Germany’s special responsibility at the international level regarding NATO’s eastern flank.”
Germany rejected Romania’s request
The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Armed Forces also emphasized that it will be a difficult task for the Bundeswehr, which needs to be adequately funded.
These statements were made before the NATO summit, which will be held next week in the capital of Lithuania, Vilnius.
According to a poll conducted by the YouGov Institute for Public Opinion Research for dpa, 49% of Germans agree with the deployment of 4,000 German soldiers to protect NATO’s eastern flank in the Baltic republic, as announced by the defense minister.
Until now, the Bundeswehr had only a small command-level presence in Lithuania, and a large number of soldiers were ready for deployment but stationed in Germany.
The German government on Wednesday rejected the Romanian government’s request to deploy troops on Romanian territory after Prime Minister Marcel Çolaku announced it a day ago, DPA agency reported, quoted by Agerpres.
A German defense ministry official said Germany believes it is “not obliged” to send a Bundeswehr brigade to Romania because it supports military cooperation with Lithuania within NATO, while France cooperates with Romania.
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Source: Hot News
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