The Lithuanian and German defence ministers on Monday signed a roadmap laying out the intents of both countries on the permanent stationing of the German brigade in Lithuania. It sets out further sequence of actions until the brigade is deployed in full volume and capability.
“Our dialogue is fine. We talk openly and we do everything in trust, not behind the scenes. Some people want to bring it all behind the scenes, so that we can now find out who leaked what and when, and confirm and probe the leaks. That will not happen,” Anušauskas told reporters in the Seimas on Thursday.
He said that the costs necessary to host the brigade are known to Lithuania, as the basic needs of the German troops have been laid down in the bilateral agreement signed earlier this week. Detailing the costs for Lithuania, Anušauskas noted that the country is committed to creating the facilities needed for the brigade, while salaries and social benefits of the soldiers will be paid by Germany.
“We cannot estimate all the needs in advance. Only the Germans could tell the amounts needed for the brigade and they told us. Now we will have technical agreements where everything will be specified in detail,” the minister said.
The confidential correspondence from the German embassy in Vilnius in November, seen by Der Spiegel, states that the German brigade in Lithuania, on NATO’s eastern flank, is a major financial challenge for the Baltic country.
Der Spiegel also writes that the problem is that the Lithuanians are convinced that they only need to pay for the military infrastructure and that they would only contribute to the construction of housing.