He will meet with the Minister of National Defence of Lithuania Juozas Olekas for discussing current issues of bilateral cooperation, participation of national forces in international operations, and sharing thoughts on the upcoming NATO Defence Ministers’ meeting in Budapest.
Minister of National Defence of Poland Bogdan Klich will come on a formal visit to Vilnius on October 8. He will meet with the Minister of National Defence of Lithuania Juozas Olekas for discussing current issues of bilateral cooperation, participation of national forces in international operations, and sharing thoughts on the upcoming NATO Defence Ministers’ meeting in Budapest.
After the meeting Lithuanian and Polish Defence Ministers will attend a mass at the Lithuanian Armed Forces St. Ignotas Church and unveil a commemorative plate for the service of troops of the joint Polish-Lithuanian battalion LITPOLBAT. The LITPOLBAT project which was underway from 1997 to 2007 served as an important vehicle of Lithuania’s NATO integration and was the only contemporary military unit Lithuania operated jointly with a NATO member. The basis of the battalion was made up of soldiers of the Great Duchess Birute Motorised Infantry Brigade based in Alytus and 4th Brigade Battalion of 15th Division of the Poland’s Armed Forces. The LITPOLBAT project was closed when military cooperation transitioned into a higher level along with Lithuania’s entrance into the NATO family. Currently Lithuania and Poland are preparing for a tour of duty in the joint EU battle group in 2010.
After the ceremony the Ministers will proceed to the Institute of International Relations and Political Science of Vilnius University (IIRPS VU) where they will give lecture for students on the topics of security and defence policy.