Ambassador: expressed displeasure will not force Germany to send any additional troops to Lithuania
“Any idea that expresses dissatisfaction that Germany could be pressured or forced (to deploy the brigade) does not take into account even one additional German soldier to Lithuania,” M. Sonnas said on Monday in the Seimas during the annual conference of the Lithuanian-German forum.
Speaking in English during the discussion, the ambassador emphasized that the public debate about Germany’s commitment to deploy a brigade in Lithuania has a tone of distrust and that it violates Germany, moreover, this discussion is “disruptive and harmful”.
“I want to state one very sensitive thing. I have several times felt the intonations, which were less implied, and sometimes said directly, when Germany retreats or does not want to fulfill the assumed obligations. It’s a) untrue, b) offensive and c) and it’s political, which I want to all of you is a message that does no good to anyone. This discussion is disruptive and harmful,” the ambassador said.
He also said he wanted to repeat what he had already announced earlier in his statement that military experts must tell what a brigade is in the defense of the Alliance in the 21st century.
“Let the military experts decide this, we fully trust Lithuania, which is strengthening the infrastructure, the efforts and allocated funds are impressive, and the military experts must decide what exactly the brigade for the defense of Lithuania looks like in the framework of our Alliance in the 21st century,” said M. Sonnas.
He was also a little surprised that there was a political debate about the German commitment. According to the embassy, although discussions on important issues are natural in a democratic society, he nevertheless had to inform his management that, over the course of several years, Lithuania’s trust in Germany has been declining.
In a few years, our country has to a certain extent lost trust in the Lithuanian political spectrum, media and society.
“During these discussions, I felt something that I had to convey to my leadership in Berlin, that it is obvious that during the year our country has to a certain extent lost trust in the Lithuanian political spectrum, media and society,” said the ambassador.
“The discussion, which was agreed between Chancellor Scholz and President Nausėda in June, was permeated with a certain mistrust whether Germany is a reliable ally to take a central role in creating a brigade, strengthening the eastern flank. I have noticed that there are countless military experts who determine what is and what is not a brigade and where it is,” M. Sonn continued.
He also emphasized that important issues are always discussed in democracies, this is legitimate, as well as if “Lithuanian politicians, Lithuanian voices want to go further than what was agreed in June”.
In June, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz signed a communique in Vilnius, which agreed that “in addition to the already assigned group and reinforced front-line battalion combat, Germany is ready to lead a strong and combat-ready brigade in Lithuania, to deter and defend against Russian aggression.”
German Defense Minister Christine Lambrech, who visited Lithuania in October, announced that Lithuania would not be assigned to a German army brigade for permanent deployment, but would be transferred to Lithuania within 10 days in the event of a crisis.
Teodoros Biliūnas/BNS photo/Visit of the defense ministers of Lithuania and Germany to the exercises of the soldiers of the German brigade
The Minister of National Defense, Arvydas Anušauskas, at that commitment press conference, liked that such a speed was completely sufficient, and this sparked a debate within the country about Germany deploying a brigade-sized unit in Lithuania.
Responding to the discussions in Lithuania about how the agreements of the NATO summit in Madrid with Germany regarding the future brigade of soldiers will be implemented, the German ambassador made a statement at the time stating that the brigade is physically already in Lithuania, because “the brigade is where its leadership is.”
Vilnius aims for the German brigade to be permanently deployed in the country in its full composition. German officials publicly repeat that part of the brigade’s soldiers will be in Lithuania, and part will be in their homeland, but they will be ready to redeploy quickly if necessary.
Until now, Berlin has deployed the forward command element of the brigade in Lithuania.
Germany also leads the international NATO battalion deployed in Lithuania since 2017.