Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda said on Monday, following a meeting with his Israeli counterpart Isaac Herzog in Vilnius, that he expects closer cooperation between the two countries in the fields of defense and security.
“In today’s complex geopolitical environment, where security challenges dominate the global agenda, we discussed the need to further strengthen cooperation in the fields of security and the defense industry,” Nausėda said in a press statement.
The Lithuanian president noted that Israel is “among the world’s leaders in this field” and that its expertise is “highly valued and greatly appreciated.”
“Innovation can also play an important role in this context, especially in the fields of biotechnology and life sciences,” he added.
Herzog’s visit to Lithuania comes amid growing international criticism of Israel’s military campaign against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, which has triggered a humanitarian crisis.
Protests against Lithuania’s cooperation with Israel were planned in Vilnius throughout the day.
Late Monday morning, a group of around 15 people gathered in Simonas Daukantas Square outside the Presidential Palace, banging empty pots and chanting “Food for Gaza” and “Stop the occupation, stop the genocide.” Protesters held signs reading “Don’t shake hands stained with blood” and “We don’t want to be accomplices.”
A small demonstration was also planned outside the Grand Hotel Vilnius, where a Lithuania–Israel business forum was set to take place. Meanwhile, a larger rally of up to 500 participants was scheduled for the evening in Vincas Kudirka Square, in front of the Government building.
Ahead of the presidential meeting, Asta Skaisgirytė, Nausėda’s chief foreign policy adviser, told LRT Radio that the Lithuanian president would tell the Israeli side that starvation “cannot be used as a tool of military fighting.”
More than two million Palestinians live in the devastated Gaza Strip. According to the World Health Organization, since Israel imposed a full blockade on March 2, malnutrition in the occupied Palestinian territories has reached “alarming levels.”
Israel launched its military campaign in response to the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, which killed 1,200 people. The Palestinian militant group also took 251 hostages, some of whom remain in Gaza.
Source: BNS
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