NATO Deputy Secretary General Radmila Shekerinska delivered the keynote speech at the NATO Parliamentary Assembly’s Spring Session in Vilnius on Monday.
Shekerinska told parliamentarians that NATO’s “Forward Land Forces” are deployed “from the Baltic to the Black Sea” and that NATO aircraft are protecting airspace “across the totality of the eastern flank,” the alliance press service reported.
She added: “NATO is ready, willing, and able to defend every inch of Allied territory.”
Shekerinska also declared that the Alliance had “strong support” for Romania following what NATO described as a “recent Russian done incident.”
She set out priorities for the upcoming NATO summit in Ankara, saying the meeting would focus on “turning cash into combat ready capabilities”, scaling up defence industries, and supporting Ukraine.
She also highlighted a role for national parliamentarians in accelerating defence investment.
NATO and EU officials take questions in Vilnius
Shekerinska took questions alongside the European Union’s Commissioner for Space and Defence, Andrius Kubilius, during the session, NATO said.
During her visit to Vilnius, Shekerinska also attended the NATO-Ukraine Defence Innovators Forum, where she said “strong deterrence and defence relies on continuous, constant innovation” and referenced Ukraine’s experience.
She also held bilateral meetings with Lithuania’s Minister of Defence Robertas Kaunas, the Speaker of the Seimas Juozas Olekas, and the US delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly.
