NATO Secretary General Visits Baltics

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg paid a visit to Lithuania on Nov. 21, hailing the Alliance’s air policing mission in the Baltics as a successful example of solidarity between its members as Russia ramps up air exercises and long-range aviation patrols in the region. Stoltenberg and senior Lithuanian officials visited the Karmelava Airspace Control Center, where Lithuanian and NATO forces manage and direct air policing activities in the Baltics, to receive a brief by troops currently training at the center. In a joint appearance Friday with Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite, Soltenberg praised Lithuania’s cooperation and work with the NATO air mission, saying it has been “significantly strengthened in the recent months.” Since the start of the year, he added, NATO allies have conducted more than 200 exercises. These events “provide assurance to the Baltic countries and to the Alliance as a whole.”