Why the United States Should Support Lithuania's Admission into NATO

Prepared by: Lithuanian-American Community. Inc.
National Executive Committee

Lithuania, a country of 3.8 million people, was occupied by both Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union during World War II. During World War II. the Soviet Union forcibly incorporated Lithuania into the Soviet Union pursuant to the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. This forcible incorporation was never recognized by the United States. In 1990. Lithuania regained its independence and each year has taken great strides in becoming a political democracy with a free market economy. Lithuania has concluded peaceful resolutions of border disputes with Russia and with Belarus. Nonetheless, without participation in NATO, Lithuania remains in a "Gray Zone" which limits its ability to peacefully grow economically and politically. Lithuania applied for NATO membership on January 6, 1994. Its people strongly support Lithuania's participation in NATO.

The United States should support Lithuania's admission into NATO for the following reasons:

1. The security of the United States is inseparable from the security of Europe.

2. NATO will bring great stability and security to political and economic reforms to Central and Eastern Europe.

3. The European Security Act affirms that the enlargement of NATO is consistent with U.S. interest. The United States has designated Lithuania as eligible to receive assistance under the program establislied under Section 203(a) in the NATO Participation Act of 1994. United States signed a Cliarter witil Litiuiania in Washington in January, 1998.

4. Lithuania is well on its way to satisfy the requirements for NATO membership including military preparedness. It is ready now to be invited to join NATO.

5. American support for Lithuania's entry into NATO will further strengthen the United States position and interest in the region and will help United States foreign trade.

6. Lithuania will never represent any danger to Russia. As a matter of fact. Lithuania being a member of NATO will increase the stability of the Russian borders as it will discourage any post-imperialistic ambitions and encourage the Russians to concentrate on building a modern industrial state.

FACT SHEET
LITHUANIA PREPARING FOR NATO

RECOGNITION OF ACHIEVEMENTS AND COMMITMENT TO FURTHER ENLARGEMENT

At the Summit meeting in Washington on 24 April, 1999, the Alliance of the 19 members has reaffirmed its commitment to openness under Article 10 of  the North Atlantic Treaty and pledged that NATO will continue to welcome new members in a position to further the principles of the Treaty and to contribute to peace and security in the Euro-Atlantic area. NATO has explicitly, recognised continuing Lithuanian efforts and progress towards NATO membership. The Alliance has stated that no European democratic country whose admission would fulfill the objectives of the Treaty will be excluded from consideration, regardless of its geographic location, each being considered on its own merits. The Alliance promised to review the enlargement process at the next Summit meeting which will be held no later than 2002.

These decisions clearly indicate that Lithuania and other applicant countries are irreversibly on the path toward NATO membership and that there is a mutually supportive way to achieve the ultimate objective.

MEMBERSHIP ACTION PLAN (MAP)

To allow the applicant countries to better prepare for assuming the responsibilities of membership, NATO has provided a solid mechanism - the Membership Action Plan (MAP) - to assist the applicants in preparations for eventual accession. We expect MAP together with an enhanced PfP programme to constitute a very practical and membership-tailored element of NATO's "open door" policy. On 29 April, 1999 Lithuania has established a Co-ordination Commission for integration into NATO which enhanced Lithuania's administrative capacity and institutionalised internal coordination among the government ministries to better prepare for accession negotiations with NATO. Commission prepared a National NATO Integration Programme which was submitted to NATO in September 1999. The Programme defines objectives and sets forth targets for Lithuania.

GROWTH OF THE NATIONAL DEFENCE BUDGET

Lithuania is building modem armed forces capable of mounting a credible defence. Lithuania has consistently increased its defence spending since 1995. The defence budget in year 1998 grew from 0.5% to 1.32% of GDP, it will increase to 2% of the GDP in 2001. We are confident that this commitment of resources will help Lithuania implement a credible development plan of the armed forces and increase our interoperability with NATO.

PARTICIPATION IN NATO-LED OPERATIONS

Since August 1994, Lithuania has participated in international missions in Bosnia, Albania, Kosovo and remains engaged with almost 50 men in PSO. Lithuania participated in the NATO-led humanitarian operation "Allied Harbour" in Albania with a contribution of 2 ambulances with 10 medical personnel.

LITHUANIA'S COOPERATION WITH THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Legal foundations

Lithuania and the United States of America began official diplomatic relations in 1922. The USA never recognized Lithuania's incorporation to the Soviet Union in 1940, and was quick to re-establish diplomatic relations with Lithuania in September 1991. Currently, Lithuania and the USA have an extensive legal basis for cooperation. The main bilateral agreements include:

• Treaty between Lithuania and the US for the Encouragement and Reciprocal Protection of Investment;
• Convention between Lithuania and the US for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with respect to Taxes on Income;
• Treaty between Lithuania and the US on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters;
• Agreement between Lithuania and the USA regarding Mutual Assistance on Customs Matters.

Charter of Partnership

Signed in Washington on January 16, 1998, the Charter of Partnership among the United States of America, the Republic of Estonia, the Republic of Latvia, and the Republic of Lithuania opened a new and dynamic US-Baltic cooperation venture.  The Charter underscored a common goal of the partners to work together in enhancing the security of all states through the integration of Baltic countries into the European and transatlantic security, political, and economic institutions, including NATO.

Through bilateral defense and economic working groups established under the aegis of the Partnership Commission, we focus on developing a modem and interoperable Lithuanian armed forces, increasing investment in the region, and building on the solid starts which have been made on issues of the environment, health, crime, civil society, and others. The Partnership Commission meets once per year; the last of which took place in Washington on July 16, 1999.

Official Contacts

Official contacts are maintained by official exchange visits at all levels of contacts. For instance. Secretary of State M. K. Albright, Deputy Secretary of State S. Talbott, and the US Undersecretary of State S. Eizeinstat have all visited Lithuania in recent years. Lithuania is also proud to have hosted the visits of 37 US Congress members, including D. Hastert, Speaker of the House of Representatives.

On March 16, 1999, during a visit to the US, Lithuanian Prime Minister G. Vagnorius issued ajoint statement with US Secretary of State M. K. Albright on the US - Baltic Charter of Partnership, stating that "the next round of NATO enlargement should include one Baltic state provided that the state demonstrates the ability to meet the responsibilities of membership".

Military Cooperation

Military cooperation with the US helps to strengthen the Lithuanian defense system, and to properly prepare for Lithuania's membership into NATO by creating a modem, efficient and NATO inter-operable military force.

In this context, contacts are made both on official levels and during training exercises. In Lithuania there have been a number of PfP military training exercises held, involving the militaries of the USA and neighboring states. The largest of these was the "Baltic Challenge", an exercise in the spirit of PfP in which 4474 military personnel from 12 countries participated in the final phase in Lithuania in 1998.

The US supports Lithuania in many ways:

• In 1998 US military experts prepared a comprehensive study of the Lithuanian Armed Forces, which now serves as the basis of the development strategy for the Lithuanian Armed Forces.
• assistance for the Lithuanian defense system by funding the establishment of a Regional Airspace Surveillance and Control Center (RASCC).
• assistance in setting up a joint Lithuanian-Polish battalion (LITPOLBAT), BALTBAT and BALTNET.
• handing over US surplus armament and military equipment.
• training of Lithuanian officers in the United States.

Economic cooperation

The USA is a strategic economic partner of Lithuania, and is the second largest investor in Lithuania's economy, having invested $280.7 mln. USD to date. During the past year US investment grew by 11.6 %. The main investors are "Philip Morris International Finance Corporation", "The Coca-Cola Export Corporation", "Kraft Foods International", and others. Most recently, a US company, "Williams International", has started investing significantly in the Lithuanian oil sector; in the process gaining the rights to operate "Mažeikių Nafta". it is hoped that this involvement will result in a highly effective energy sector, by bringing efficient management and further investments.

As of November 1999, Lithuanian exports for the year to the US were $124.8 mln. USD. Compared to the same time period (January-November) in 1998, exports to the US grew to 4.4% from 2.8% of the Lithuanian export total, while the volume of export to the US increased 28.1%. The USA is now Lithuania's eighth largest export trading partner. Lithuanian imports from the US over the same period were $161.7 mln. USD. Compared to 1998 figures, Lithuanian imports from the US grew to 3.6% from 2.8% of the Lithuanian import total, while the volume of import from the US increased 7.4%. The USA is now Lithuania's seventh largest import trading partner.

US Regional Involvement

THE NORTHERN EUROPE INITIATIVE:
We welcome the US-launched Northern Europe Initiative (NEI); an additional tool which seeks to support the integration of the Baltic states into key European and Euro-Atlantic institutions, and to promote cooperation and integration between northwestern Russia and its Baltic Sea neighbors. 

THE USA IS GRANTED OBSERVER STATUS IN THE CBSS:
During Lithuania's presidency of the Council of Baltic Sea States (CBSS), from July 1998 to July 1999, the USA was officially granted observer status in the Council.

The Lithuanian community in the USA

Currently there are nearly one million people of Lithuanian origin in the USA.

EVALUATION OF LITHUANIA'S PROGRESS

The Secretary welcomed the progress Lithuania has made since the NATO Summit in Madrid to meet the criteria set out in the 1995 NATO Enlargement Study and its actions to prepare for Alliance membership, especially Lithuania's determination to implement its plans for defense modernisation and increased interoperability with NATO. She commended the Lithuanian Parliament for its commitment to raise the defense budget to 2% of GDP by 2001. The Secretary also noted the positive results of Lithuania's active regional diplomacy and its contributions to security and stability elsewhere in Europe, such as Bosnia, that are evidence of Lithuania's commitment to contribute to European security. Such efforts are an important factor that will be considered as the U.S. assesses the ftiture qualifications of Lithuania for NATO membership.

From the Statement by Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright and Lithuanian Prime Minister Gediminas Vagnorius, U.S. Department of State, March 16, 1999

"The next round of NATO enlargement should include one Baltic state provided that state demonstrates the ability to meet the responsibilities of membership. [...] At present, Lithuania has made the most progress in preparing for membership. It also has the best relationship with Russia and the smallest and best integrated Russian minority. Its inclusion in NATO is thus likely to be the least problematic for Russia."

Independent Task Force Report. U.S. Policy Toward Northeastern Europe, Sponsored by the Council on Foreign Relations, April 1999

Lithuanian NATO Links

More about NATO (in Lithuanian)
Lithuania and NATO (in English)

Republic of Lithuania Ministry of National Defence (in English)
Krašto Apsaugos Ministerija (in Lithuanian)

NATO Enlargement in the U.S. National Interest - from the perspective of the U.S. Department of State.

House of Commons Report on NATO - proceedings of the debate on enlargement.

U.S. State Department: NATO Enlargement - includes Q&A, articles, testimony, and more.

Report to Congress on NATO Enlargement - from the Bureau of European and Canadian Affairs, U.S. Department of State.

Radio Free Europe: Expanding NATO - news, updates, and documents.

Revised: October 29, 2002
by Voras
http://lithuanian-american.org/nato/