Seimas board updated on threats of cyber attack – Seimas speaker

He refused to elaborate on the information provided by the Second Investigations Department under the Defence Ministry, as the information is classified.

“The meeting was held behind closed doors and the materials cannot be published but we spoke about the threats Lithuania is faced with, including those discussed in public. We learned that Lithuania is working consistently in the area and that we are not alone,” Pranckietis told journalists after the meeting.

Asked to specify the threats that were listed, he said that all of them were contained in the list of threats of the National Security Defence Strategy, with a bigger focus on cyber attacks.

“The National Security Strategy includes 14 threats, and all of them can be discussed in this context. We focused on cyber attacks, they are ready for them and continue working in the direction. Our main question was whether we should reassure people, and we were told that we could, as our services were working,” said the parliamentary speaker.

Vytautas Bakas, chairman of the parliamentary National Security and Defence Committee, emphasized that this was the first time military intelligence information was presented in this format. The board’s meeting with officers of the Second Investigations Department was initiated by the National Security and Defence Committee, Defense Minister Raimundas Karoblis was also present.

“This year, the parliament will have a big number of issues in connection to national security on its agenda, this is due to the National Security Strategy we will have to implement. We will have an ill-disposed neighbor, and this will not end today or tomorrow. The state and its people must realize that the aggression that is demonstrated by the Eastern neighbor is not short-term, the escalation is permanent, it will continue in the future,” said Bakas, stressing the need to seek a high degree of NATO presence in the region.

Darius Jauniškis, the head of the State Security Department, has said that Zapad 2017 to be held in Russia and Belarus later this year would be the main challenge to national security. In his words, they are always alarming, as they are always “aimed against the West.”