Germany has plans to station almost 4 800 troops and 200 civilian workers in Lithuania, as confirmed on Thursday, the 23rd of November, by Germany’s ambassador to Lithuania Cornelius Zimmermann in an interview to Žiniu radijas radio station.
He added that the stationing of German forces in Lithuania will be a gradual process. He also stressed that the most important thing right now is ensuring good coordination between both sides. The ambassador also said that negotiations still continue and that he cannot reveal the full plan yet.
“I believe
there is no point in soldiers if they have no place to live,
and there is no point in accommodation options if there are no soldiers. This is why I believe it makes sense to develop the presence of German troops in Lithuania,” said Zimmermann.
Berlin plans to station its brigade in Lithuania in the next two years. Next year it is planned to sign an inter-governmental agreement on that. It is planned to station a tank battalion, two manoeuvring brigades, artillery battalion and a logistical battalion.
Vilnius and Berlin continue negotiations on the infrastructure Lithuania will need to provide the stationed German troops. Germany’s Minister of Defence Boris Pistoriuss previously said that Lithuania will have to provide military infrastructure and social infrastructure – such as schools, kindergartens and leisure venues.
Germany’s ambassador also said schools will be necessary because “we have to consider that our troops will not be staying just for a couple of years”. He explained: “This is a long-term investment. We
want our troops and their families to feel at home.
We want them to make ties with Lithuanian residents”.
Germany has been in charge of the battalion-sized NATO battle group stationed in Lithuania since 2017.
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