Belgium will send more than 200 servicemen in Lithuania, NATO's so-called "Eastern Wing", within the framework of strengthening Russia's territories, and reports the SOIR publication, citing Kingdom Defense Minister To Franken.
"Installation is part of the Enhanced Forward Presence, which is a NATO program that aims to increase its military presence in Baltics in response to growing tensions with Russia. The program has been operating since 2016, "the publication reported.
According to the Minister, the Belgian military mission will last for six months in Lithuania and end in late January next year. Franken also explained that Germany asked to deploy Belgian troops. The deployment of troops still requires the approval of the Belgian Federal Cabinet.
In recent years, Russia has announced its unprecedented NATO activity near its Western borders. NATO is expanding its initiatives and calls it "restraint of Russian aggression." Moscow has repeatedly expressed concern over the accumulation of bloc in Europe. The Kremlin noted that Russia is not threatening anyone, but it will not ignore potentially dangerous actions for its interests.
