"The Lithuanian president thanked US President Barack Obama for important decisions regarding the missile defense system, the air policing mission, the defense plans made at the NATO summit. The president said that these decisions were very important for the Baltic states' security and would not have been possible without US President Barack Obama's personal contribution," the statement said.
A short meeting of the three Baltic presidents and the US president took place in Chicago, and it focused on regional security issues. According to the statement, the US is very well aware of challenges Lithuania and the Baltic states are facing, and is ready to help meet them. The Lithuanian president said active cooperation with the United States was already producing results.
"Cooperation with the US is growing not only in the sphere of defense but also in the spheres of economy and energy. America is not only Lithuania's main partner which supported the extension of the NATO Air Policing mission in the Baltic states for an indefinite time, but is also making a significant contribution to energy projects, including the construction of an LNG terminal and Visaginas nuclear power plant, which are strategically important for our state," Grybauskaitė was quoted as saying.
According to the Lithuanian president, Lithuania appreciates America's support in ensuring that the highest nuclear safety standards are applied to all nuclear power plants, including those under construction in Kaliningrad and Belarus near the Lithuanian border.
