The US admiral emphasized “true progress” in Afghanistan where NATO intends to hand over security tasks to local forces by the end of 2014.
"I look back on the work of Lithuania in the Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) in Ghor, in special forces operations, in maneuvers, in training the Afghan security forces, in all of these areas we see progress and I say thank you for the terrific work," Stavridis told journalists in Vilnius.
During a visit at the Energy Security Center in the Lithuanian capital, he expressed certitude the agency would contribute to energy security and energy efficiency within NATO.
"It is a superb center, which I believe will address some of the principle concerns that we have today with security of energy but also with energy efficiency," the admiral noted.
Stavridis also applauded the Baltic air-policing mission, which he said was a good example of wise defense.
Lithuania's Defense Minister Rasa Juknevičienė said after the meeting with the US admiral that she assured Lithuania would leave Afghanistan together with the rest of the Alliance.
"My message to the admiral was the same – we came together and will leave together," Juknevičienė told journalists.
The minister said the US admiral was awarded with the Cross of Commander of the Order For Merits to Lithuania for his extraordinary contribution to making "NATO membership in our region practical membership, to planning defense specifically with NATO in a realistic way and to holding military exercises in our region by realistic scenarios."
At the awards ceremony later in the day, Lithuania's President Dalia Grybauskaitė noted the increased military activity in Russia's Kaliningrad region, which, in her words, "requires reliable and flexible interaction of NATO forces in the Baltic region during joint exercises, training and development of wise defense initiatives."
"This year, we have approved collective defense guarantees that are crucial for the Lithuanian and Baltic security – Baltic defense plans, air-policing mission. It is now time to assure that the Alliance's forces are ready for practical implementation," the president said in a press release.
