U.S. defense secretary to visit Lithuania

VILNIUS, May 5 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis is to visit Lithuania next week, Lithuania announced on Friday.

Mattis is to meet with President Dalia Grybauskaite next Wednesday to discuss strengthening security in Lithuania and the Baltic region, and bilateral cooperation.

It will be Mattis' first visit in the region, demonstrating the "attention paid by the United States to the security of Lithuania and the other Baltic states", according to the president's office.

Mattis and Grybauskaite are to discuss preparations for the upcoming NATO summit in Brussels later this month.

Rotational U.S. forces have been present on Lithuanian soil since early 2014, attending joint military trainings in Lithuania.