Lithuania Call For Unified Defense Efforts At NATO Public Diplomacy Forum

(MENAFN- Trend News Agency) BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 25. Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Kęstutis Budrys, participating in the NATO Summit in The Hague, joined Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna in a high-level discussion at the NATO Public Diplomacy Forum titled“Making our Societies more Robust, Ready and Resilient,” Trend reports.

In his remarks, Minister Budrys emphasized the critical need to enhance societal resilience, increase defense industry capacity, and establish credible deterrence as the foundation for lasting peace in Europe.

“If we want peace, we must invest in credible deterrence - it's the only path forward,” Budrys stated.“We need to back our regional defense plans with real capabilities. That means investment, expanding production capacity, signing contracts - and we need to do this now.”

Minister Budrys noted that today's threats are not always physical or military in nature. He pointed to disinformation, hybrid attacks, and efforts to divide societies as immediate and pressing challenges.

“These are realities we are already facing,” he said.“In Lithuania, such threats have strongly mobilized civil society and driven more proactive preparedness efforts.”

He stressed that defense readiness must be a shared responsibility involving not only governments but also industry and the private sector.

“We have the necessary tools, plans, and initiatives both at the EU and transatlantic level,” Budrys said.“Now is the time to use them.”

The Public Diplomacy Forum is one of several key events held on the sidelines of the NATO Summit, where leaders and experts are gathering to reinforce collective defense strategies and foster stronger transatlantic cooperation.

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