The presidents of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia met with U.S. President Donald Trump late on Tuesday to increase NATO support to the Baltic States.
According to Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite's official statement, the summit meeting of the Baltic countries was held in the White House.
Grybauskaite said that the four presidents adopted a joint political declaration reaffirming the ironclad commitment of all four countries to Article 5 of the Washington Treaty, which defines the core principle of NATO's defense: All for one, one for all.
'It was also agreed to explore and find solutions to air defense, bilaterally and in NATO,' the president said.
The U.S. committed to continuing the deployment of forces to the Baltic States.
'Lithuania heard very concrete U.S. guarantees. It means that the bond uniting us remains strong and that the security of the Baltic countries and the U.S. is indivisible,' Grybauskaite said.
She said that the active and clearly visible U.S. engagement and military presence in the region are of vital interest to Lithuania.
'The results of today’s meeting show that in the case of a crisis, Lithuania can expect America’s military support not only within the framework of NATO but also on a direct bilateral basis,' she noted.
- Energy issues
The heads of the Baltic States also discussed energy security and options for importing U.S. gas to the region's only LNG terminal located in Lithuania.
The countries affirmed the importance of ensuring safe and diversified supplies while negating the influence of Russia's Gazprom in domestic political affairs.
'During the visit to Washington, Lithuania’s state energy companies Klaipedos Nafta and Lietuvos Duju Tiekimas will sign memorandums with the U.S. company Freeport LNG on cooperation in the field of liquefied natural gas,' the president explained.
One of the main topics up for discussion was another Russian energy project, the Nord Stream II natural gas pipeline project to carry Russian gas through the Baltic Sea to Europe.
The Lithuanian president asserted that it was a geopolitical project aimed at increasing the EU’s dependence on Russian gas.
By Murat Temizer
Anadolu Agency
energy@aa.com.tr