Lithuania says Türkiye is key NATO ally with strong military capabilities

Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene said that Türkiye is an important NATO ally with strong military capabilities and a strategic geographic position, adding that Lithuania highly values Türkiye's solidarity with and contribution to security in the Baltic region.

Ruginiene made the remarks in written responses to Anadolu ahead of the Ankara summit on Monday and Tuesday.

She said she expected the summit to reaffirm transatlantic unity and all allies' strong commitment to fulfilling their obligations under the Washington Treaty.

"In this context, increasing defense spending and developing defense capabilities are of great importance to ensure a credible deterrence and defense posture," she said.

Ruginiene said Russia remained the most direct long-term threat to Euro-Atlantic security and that the Russia-Ukraine war had further worsened Europe's security environment, including for neighboring countries.

The prime minister also condemned recent drone incursions from Russia and Belarus into Baltic airspace that affected NATO's eastern flank.