- Title: Lithuania commits to spending 2.5 pct of GDP on defence by 2030
- Date: 10th September 2018
- Summary: GAIZIUNAL, LITHUANIA (FILE) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF TANKS DRIVING GRENADES EXPLODING AT MILITARY TRAINING GROUND TANK DRIVING WITH SOLDIERS RUNNING AFTER IT SOLDIERS SHOOTING / RUNNING INTO WOODLAND VARIOUS OF SOLDIERS SHOOTING SOLDIER THROWING GRENADE VARIOUS OF SOLDIERS INSIDE BUILDING VARIOUS OF SOLDIERS SURRENDERING TO OTHER SOLDIERS AS PART OF TRAINING EXERCISE SOLDIERS
- Embargoed: 24th September 2018 11:18
- Keywords: Lithuania defence defence spending budget Baltics NATO
- Location: VILNIUS, GAIZIUNAI, LITHUANIA
- City: VILNIUS, GAIZIUNAI, LITHUANIA
- Country: Lithuania
- Topics: Defence,Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA0028X1NI2H
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:Lithuania's main political parties committed on Monday (September 10) to increasing defence spending every year for the next decade, reaching at least 2.5 percent of gross domestic product by 2030.
Of the seven parties in the parliament, five parties signed the agreement. Another said it would sign later, leaving just one party, the left-wing Social Democrat party, to reject the deal because it seeks spending on social issues, not defence.
The political agreement, which is not legally binding, makes defence spending increases part of every future government, whatever its political leaning.
Lithuania's main motivation is Russia's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, officials say, prompting the country to rebuild its military after years of neglect.
The country is on track to spend 2 percent of GDP this year, one of only eight of 29 NATO countries to do so. Before the Crimea annexation, it spent just 0.8 percent of GDP on defence in 2013, the second-smallest share of NATO countries after Luxembourg. - Copyright Holder: FILE REUTERS (CAN SELL)
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2018. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None