The Ministry of National Defence has drafted a package of documents, which are necessary for ratification of the agreement signed in Warsaw last September. Under the procedures, the government should turn to President Dalia Grybauskaitė, asking her to submit the agreement for parliamentary ratification. Lithuanian laws stipulate that international agreements are to be ratified by the Seimas after submission by the president.
The Ukrainian Cabinet of ministers this week submitted the three-country agreement for ratification. Ukraine‘s Defence Minister Stepan Poltorak said the country could delegate a group of soldiers to the headquarters in Lublin (Poland) in the second quarter of 2015.
Last autumn, Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine reached final agreement after years of negotiations to set up a joint military brigade. Soldiers ascribed to the unit are to attend joint exercises and trainings. If needed, the brigade or its elements would be sent to international operations under the mandate of the United Nations (UN) Security Council, with the decision on participation in international operations to be made by all three countries involved in the brigade.
According to the plan, the brigade will consist of international staff, three battalions and specialized units. The staff will be based in Lublin. Lithuania intends to contribute up to five soldiers on a permanent basis to the staff, delegating additional troops during brigade training and exercises.
Negotiations on establishment of the brigade were opened back in 2007.
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