LITHUANIA, November 28 - On Sunday, President of the Republic of Lithuania Gitanas Nausėda and Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė have met with Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Jens Stoltenberg and President of the European Commission (EC) Ursula von der Leyen to discuss the security situation in the region and the latest developments at the European Union-Belarus border resulting from Lukashenko regime-orchestrated hybrid attack.

‘Today is a very important day, as we can again witness the unity, which is absolutely key under the current circumstances. It is not only the unity between EU Member States subjected to the hybrid attack, not only the unity supporting Ukraine or other EU Eastern Partnership countries, where new clouds are gathering, but it is also the unity between two very important organisations that are key to our security’, said the Prime Minister after the meeting.

The Head of Government has emphasised the opportunity to share the latest information and insights with the NATO Secretary General and the President of the European Commission and to discuss ways to address the current security challenges together.

‘The aim of the attack is to force the members of the European Union and the EU as an institution to give up their values ​​and give in to blackmail. It is imperative that we continue our efforts to reduce the pressure and possibilities for those deceived to get to the EU-Belarus border and thus fall prey to Lukashenko’s hybrid attack’, said Ingrida Šimonytė.

According to the Head of the Government, what complicates the resolution of this situation is the fact that we have to run in the footsteps of the scheming and angry mind and try to predict what comes next.

‘Not only this work, but also the legislative initiatives proposed by the European Commission can help address this issue more rapidly and smoothly. These are very timely proposals, as neither the current legislation on sanctions nor on migration and asylum is a response to the current situation. And this is only natural, because it would be very difficult for the European Union to predict to what length can a man go to keep his grip on power,’ said the Prime Minister.

The Prime Minister has reiterated that it is key to stay united and remember where it all started and why we are where we are.

‘It all started because the people of Belarus were deprived of the right to decide their own destiny, and the EU was single-minded on this. Any pressure to compromise our values and principles, and to negotiate them would simply mean to the ones like Mr Lukashenko that bad behaviour pays off,’ said Ingrida Šimonytė.

The Prime Minister has talked about hundreds of people trapped in this situation, which requires ever more intensive efforts and the involvement of international organisations in helping to return the people trapped in Belarus to their countries of origin.

‘False information is an area where the European Commission and NATO can achieve much working together with the Member States. This is a very important fighting front in this hybrid attack. ‘The European Union, as an area of ​​the rule of law, respect for human rights and freedoms, and freedom of expression, cannot really become a hostage to regimes where the opposite is the case,’ said the Prime Minister.

The Prime Minister has thanked the NATO Secretary General and the President of the European Commission for their assistance and expressed confidence that the unity will continue, and instruments will be found to respond to this situation.