VILNIUS, May 5 (Xinhua) -- Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said Lithuania would continue to allocate 2 percent of GDP for defense spending, according to a press release by the presidency on Tuesday.
The president made the remarks during a phone conversation with Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Jens Stoltenberg to discuss the COVID-19 pandemic and its consequences for security environment, read the release.
Nauseda emphasized that even though the pandemic would affect both the social and economic sectors, it would not change Lithuania's principled stand on its international obligations.
He highlighted the increasingly stronger cooperation ties between NATO and the European Union as well as their coordinated joint actions in response to the pandemic.
"We need to preserve good practices and continue collaborative work between the two organizations in civil resilience, military mobility and strategic communication," said the president.
According to the Health Ministry, Lithuania had registered 1,423 confirmed COVID-19 cases by Tuesday morning. To date, 46 people have died and 678 have recovered. Enditem
