During the first visit to Lithuania by the new German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, the 45th Armored Brigade will be inaugurated in the capital. A solemn military ritual will mark the official beginning of the new military unit in Lithuania.
During celebrations 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.
F. Merz's first visit to the Baltic States
This will be F. Merz's first official visit to the Baltic States. He will be leaving in the morning Vilnius airport will be met by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Kęstutis Budrys.
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".
Defence Minister Boris Pistorius will also arrive with F. Merz. The latter will meet with National Defence Minister Dovila Šakaliene.
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.
There will be traffic restrictions and public transport routes will change on the day of the event.
In preparation for the inauguration of Germany's 45th Armored Brigade, vehicle traffic restrictions will be introduced in the city center, as well as changes public transport routes, reported Vilnius city municipality.
Drivers will be subject to traffic restrictions starting Wednesday. It is announced that from Wednesday 7 a.m. to Thursday 22 p.m., parking will be prohibited on L. Stuokas-Gucevičius, Šventaragis, and Barboras Radvilaitė streets.
Also, from Wednesday 19 p.m. to Thursday 22 p.m., traffic will be restricted on T. Vrublevskios, Šventaragis, Barboras Radvilaitės streets and on the Gedimino Ave. section from Šventaragis to Vilniaus street.
The changes will also affect public transport. From Wednesday 18 p.m. to Thursday midnight, bus routes 10, 11, 33 and 89 will change.
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)
