The President met with former President of Finland Sauli Niinistö

On Tuesday in Kaunas, President Gitanas Nausėda met with former President of Finland Sauli Niinistö.

The President discussed with Mr. Niinistö his report "Safer Together: Strengthening European Civilian and Military Preparedness," which was prepared last year. The conversation covered priority areas for enhancing Europe's resilience and the need to raise awareness of potential hybrid threats.

According to the President, Lithuania underscores the importance of historical memory, advocates for the development of educational programs and stronger cooperation among historians in countering attempts to rewrite history, and expects more united efforts by the European Union in this area.

The meeting also highlighted the need to ensure the protection of critical infrastructure, networks and transport corridors. Coordination of civilian and military efforts, as well as complementarity between the EU and NATO, was discussed. It was noted that the EU and NATO should establish common hybrid resilience standards across all domains - energy, cybersecurity and the information space.

The discussion focused on the importance of securing sufficient funding for these measures - both in the new multiannual financial framework and in national budgets - and on implementing the NATO decision adopted in The Hague to allocate 1.5% of GDP to resilience.

The President noted that Finland serves as a model of military preparedness and societal resilience for all of Europe. He thanked the former Finnish President for his personal efforts to strengthen Europe's civilian and military preparedness. "Your report 'Safer Together' provides a strong political foundation for further enhancing the EU's preparedness and resilience in the face of today's threats," the President said.

Later in the day, President Nausėda and former President Niinistö participated in the international conference "Universities Shaping the Future: Building a Resilient Society through Innovation and Global Impact" at Vytautas Magnus University in Kaunas.