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At the end of June, he wrote a letter to Lithuanian President Gitan Nausėda. It has not been announced before.
France is trying to win the support of Lithuanian politicians for the request to send special operations troops to Mali. They would participate in the European force group Takuba, which helps local armed forces fight the jihadists.
“I want to assure you that your country’s contribution would be particularly useful and valuable. I hope that (…) we can count on your support,” the French leader’s letter to BNS reads.
For many years, Paris has been calling on Lithuania to strengthen its presence in the region, and discussions on this in Lithuania resumed in the spring.
French diplomats in Vilnius have been in contact with the Ministry of National Defense on this issue for some time. According to them, by sending forces to Africa, Lithuania would not only show solidarity with France by helping to ensure stability in the region that worries Paris and Europe: Lithuanian soldiers who had left Afghanistan would continue to gain experience on the battlefield.
President Nausėda has yet to reveal whether he agrees with France’s request. The final decision on troop deployment should be made this year.
Seeks a new structure for collective military participation
In a letter to the President of Lithuania, E. Macronas states that Paris is reviewing the military involvement of international forces in North Africa.
In early June, the French president announced that he would end the country’s Mali operation, Barkhane, and replace it with a broader international mission.
“We are consulting with partners in the Sahel, the United States and Europe to define a new framework for collective military engagement based on two key principles: support from our partners in the fight against terrorism and enhanced operational cooperation with partner armies in the Sahel, and in close cooperation with the EU Training Mission in Mali ”, wrote E. Macronas in a letter to the President of Lithuania.
“This new structure will lead to a transformation of the French military system, but the Takuba special forces group will remain a key element of this future system, which we will further strengthen,” he said.
According to Macron, Takuba’s current partners intend to devote more forces to the mission, and countries that have not yet participated plan to contribute to the operation.
“Finally, some of them have embarked on the political approval process necessary to confirm their operational commitments,” the French leader wrote.
The decision to send troops to the Takuba mission was announced by the Norwegian government this week. It will become the ninth country to contribute to this operation.
In addition to France, Belgium, Estonia, Italy, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Portugal and Sweden also participate. Denmark has committed to deploying troops to this mission starting next year.
This special operations team consists of about 600 personnel.
The issue will be discussed in the State Defense Council.
Representatives of President G. Nausėda say that Lithuania will make a decision on sending troops to Mali this year, but emphasize that the country’s contribution to Africa is already significant.
“Currently, Lithuania sends the largest number of troops to international missions and operations on the African continent. Lithuania’s contribution to international security by participating in operations and missions, given the size of the Lithuanian state and army, is already significant.” said the comment transmitted by the President’s Communication Group to BNS.
“All new initiatives and possible alternatives are carefully evaluated, the decision should be in the best interest of Lithuania’s security,” he said.
Currently, around 50 Lithuanian soldiers are participating in two military missions in Mali and one mission in the Central African Republic.
Seimas mandates to send Lithuanian soldiers on international operations are renewed every two years. According to the Presidency, before submitting the mandate to the Seimas for approval from 2022, G. Nausėda will convene the State Defense Council.
At the end of May, the Seimas Defense and National Security Committee (NSGC) had already considered the possibility of contributing to the operation in Mali and welcomed this possibility.
This week, Deputy Minister of National Defense Margiris Abukevičius stated that the Ministry is positive about the possible involvement of Lithuanian soldiers in Operation Takuba.
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