Roberta METSOLA, EP President and Gitanas NAUSĖDA, President of Lithuania hold a press point in the European Parliament, in Strasbourg. The President of Lithuania is invited to address the plenary on the occasion of the "This is Europe" debate. This transcription is a result of an automatic process. Please check against delivery.

Strasbourg

press point

EU - Lithuania (T)

METSOLA, Roberta (EPP, MT, EP President)

president's agenda

NAUSĖDA, Gitanas (LT)

This is Europe Debate (T)

Press point by Roberta METSOLA, EP President and by Gitanas NAUSĖDA, President of Lithuania

https://api.multimedia.europarl.europa.eu/documents/20125/69088089/1678441449227_I238624Chapters%5BSD-EN%5D.srt

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, EP President, Good morning. Let me start by saying that I am very pleased to welcome the president of Lithuania. He's on us now to Strasbourg and the European Parliament. The President will shortly address the plenary. In our This is Europe series of debates with the EU heads of states. Dayton us just three days ago. 11th of March.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, EP President, Your country celebrated the day of the restoration of the state of Lithuania. You know firsthand what it means to be under political pressure from an oppressive authoritarian regime and what it takes, most importantly to fight for your freedom.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, EP President, Lithuania has consistently shown leadership in supporting Ukraine strongly, as well as the Belarussian democratic opposition in defence of European values and respect for European and international law. And I am positive that Lithuania will continue to play a crucial role in the EU's determined response to Russia's illegal war, be it through political, financial, humanitarian or military support.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, EP President, Lithuania has also been leading efforts by showing concrete solidarity with the Ukrainian people. You opened your homes and your hearts to more than 74,000 Ukrainians in what is the largest inflow of refugees in your country's history. Finally, I also very much welcome all your efforts in favour of a real security and defence Union, and I am sure that Lithuania will continue to lead in strengthening the European security interest infrastructure.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, EP President, Hosting the NATO summit in Vilnius this summer is a clear sign of your commitment towards our common defence. Our European defence capability should be developed to increase our strategic autonomy and in a way that complements NATO's action and does not duplicate nor compete with it as we are short of time and I want to allow time for questions, I will leave it at this. So dear President of the floor is yours.

SOUNDBITE (English), Gitanas NAUSEDA, President of Lithuania, Good Morning ladies and gentlemen. Madam President, it's my pleasure to be here at the official seat of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, at the very heart of European democracy. Today, I will be honoured to address members, members of European Parliament, a political forum in which the most urgent European issues are discussed, and the European values are safeguarded.

SOUNDBITE (English), Gitanas NAUSEDA, President of Lithuania, First, I would like to thank you, dear Roberta, for your strong stance on Ukraine. Your recent visit to life is an important sign on of the strong, ongoing European Parliament's support to Ukraine. Ukrainians are defending freedom and democratic European values with their blood. Ukraine belongs to the European Union. Ukrainians proved in it in so many ways.

SOUNDBITE (English), Gitanas NAUSEDA, President of Lithuania, Our task is to help Ukraine reach its goal. To make all the necessary reforms in order to join the European Union. I very much welcome the statement you made, Madam President, regarding Ukraine's accession negotiations. We should aim at starting membership talks already this year. The European perspective is what gives hope and strength to Ukrainian people fighting for their freedom on the battlefield.

SOUNDBITE (English), Gitanas NAUSEDA, President of Lithuania, It is important to keep pressure on Russia to and continue this consistent EU sanctions policy. Sanctions should be painful. There is no space for circumvention and derogation. We must also seek responsibility for their crimes of aggression committed by Russia in Ukraine. I commend the European Parliament Resolution on the establishment of the Special Tribunal.

SOUNDBITE (English), Gitanas NAUSEDA, President of Lithuania, One more important point. We should join our efforts and fight in the fight against Russian disinformation and history revision revisionism. There is a strong need for a common EU policy on historical memory and evaluation of totalitarian regimes. I appreciate what the European Parliament is doing in this domain and we could do more. Lithuania's ready to contribute. Thank you once again for the autumn welcome. I look forward for to the debates with the members of the Parliament. Thank you.

Q&As Question on weather the Western world has learned the lesson on the Baltic States advice on Russian danger before the aggression to Ukraine.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, EP President, So thank you very much. I very much share that statement that we should have listened more carefully to our Baltic friends. We, let's say, said it started to say it almost immediately from the 24th of February. One would have perhaps wanted that we did that earlier because if there's one thing we have learnt or at least finally understood, is that we cannot trust Putin.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, EP President, He didn't stop in 2008. He did not stop in 2014 and he will definitely not stop now. And this is why we have continued so resolutely in this Parliament. But I can also say with such unity and firmly as a European Union and also as a global democratic community in our response to Russia's aggression.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, EP President, What we have done in our reaction, I would say, can be a blueprint going forwards, finding out who are our allies, understanding our partners who have lived, in the shadow or within the shadow of an autocratic regime as a neighbour. The invasion has also made us realise that we cannot be complacent.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, EP President, And if there is one thing that this institution, this Parliament has been extremely united on is that there is no way that we will let war fatigue set in and that we will stay step by step with Ukraine, side by side with Ukraine, in order for all the financial, logistical, military and political help to be given also in their path towards accession to the European Union.

SOUNDBITE (English), Gitanas NAUSEDA, President of Lithuania, Thank you for your question. I think this is probably my answer would be that it's no big need to talk about the past. Yes, we had quite big differences in our opinion about the threats posed by Russia in the past, but I see a huge shift in the thinking since the war in Ukraine started and now we are in the process of learning.

SOUNDBITE (English), Gitanas NAUSEDA, President of Lithuania, I think the politics is the process of learning, no matter the Army talking about foreign policy or domestic policy. And I see that many countries change that attitude. And we see more and more people, politicians, experts on our side, and they understand that at least having in mind the current circumstances, Russia poses long term threat.

SOUNDBITE (English), Gitanas NAUSEDA, President of Lithuania, We have to understand it. But this is not only bad news. We can look to this news from the positive side. We have to prepare. We have to increase the resilience of our societies, the resilience of our energy systems. And I think in the military terms, we can build just credible deterrence and turn to to prolong this period of peace. I think this is most important now to stay united, not to have talked so much about the past and just to look forward to go forward.