Vilnius airport The plane of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and his delegation landed. The Chancellor was welcomed by Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys.
This is F. Merz's first official visit to the Baltic States.
Later, the German Chancellor will meet with Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda. During the bilateral meeting, he and the president will discuss Lithuanian-German relations, defense, support for Ukraine, and the European Union agenda.
After the meeting, they will also participate in the inauguration of the German 45th Armored Brigade "Lietuva".
A solemn military ritual will mark the official beginning of the new military unit in Lithuania. During the ceremonies On the Cathedral Square Almost a thousand German and Lithuanian soldiers will line up. A ribbon marking the military unit's mission in Lithuania will be ceremoniously attached to the flag of the German brigade.
Before the ceremony, an exhibition of military equipment will also take place near the square, and the day of celebrations will end with a concert by German and Lithuanian military orchestras. concert.
Defence Minister Boris Pistorius also arrived with F. Merz.
As previously announced, F. Merz, leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), became the tenth Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany last week. However, he had to be confirmed by the Bundestag twice, as he lacked the necessary support during the first vote.
ELTA reminds that Berlin has committed to deploy a brigade-sized military unit in Lithuania in the summer of 2022. In total, it is intended to transfer about 5 thousand people to Lithuania. Soldiers and civilians of the German brigade. Some of them will come with their families.
It is planned that the majority of the brigade will be transferred to Lithuania by 2026. According to German Defense Minister B. Pistorius, the brigade will gain full operational capacity in 2027.
The permanent location of the German brigade is planned to be at the Rūdninkai military training ground and Rukla.
Martyna Pikelytė (ELTA)
