On 8–9 December, Vilnius will host consultations among the U.S.A., Italy, Spain, and Lithuania - the four countries which lead Provincial Reconstruction Teams under the Regional Command West of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan.
On 8–9 December, Vilnius will host consultations among the U.S.A., Italy, Spain, and Lithuania - the four countries which lead Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRT) under the Regional Command West of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan.
At the event, high-ranking officials from foreign and defence ministries and military officers of these countries, representatives from other states and international organizations that provide assistance to Western Afghanistan will exchange their experience how to make better use of the available resources for the reconstruction of Afghanistan, and will discuss ways to improve the coordination of actions in the western part of Afghanistan.
Political Director of Lithuania’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Eitvydas Bajarūnas and his counterpart at the Ministry of National Defence Andrius Krivas are the organizers of the event. Lithuania’s Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs Šarūnas Adomavičius and Vice-Minister of National Defence Vytautas Umbrasas will open the consultations.
During the consultations, over 60 participants from Lithuania, the U.S.A., Italy, Spain, Denmark, Croatia, NATO Headquarters in Brussels and the military headquarters in Europe and Afghanistan, the European Union Police Mission in Afghanistan (EUPOL), the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), also the ambassadors residing in Lithuania will discuss the security situation in Afghanistan and possibilities to strengthen the support for Afghanistan’s national security forces, they will also discuss ways to speed up the reconstruction and development of Western Afghanistan.
The new strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan that was announced by U.S. President Barack Obama on 1 December will be presented during the consultations. According to the strategy, 30 thousand additional U.S. troops are to be sent to Afghanistan, number of civil experts is expected to be increased, more assistance for the reconstruction of Afghanistan and development of partnership with Pakistan are on the agenda.
More that 40 countries currently participate in the ISAF operation in Afghanistan. Their forces are divided into five regions: Northern, Southern, Western, Eastern and Capital Kabul. The Italian-led Regional Command West of ISAF is responsible for four provinces. Since summer 2005, Lithuania has led the PRT in the Ghor Province, which is one of the four provinces. Around 150 Lithuanian soldiers are deployed in this province. The main task of Lithuania’s mission in Ghor is to aid the authorities of Afghanistan to deepen their influence in the province, to guarantee security and to create appropriate conditions for the reconstruction of the province.
The military and civilian personnel from Croatia, Denmark, Georgia, Japan, Ukraine and the U.S.A. also serve and work in the PRT in Ghor. Currently, the tenth shift of the Lithuanian troops serves in the PRT in Afghanistan. Special Operations Force Squadron “Aitvaras” is a part of ISAF operation in the South of Afghanistan. For Lithuania this is the largest international operation considering the participating military personnel as well as the funds that are allocated to the operation and to development cooperation projects.