The Minister of Interior of Lithuania, Agnė Bilotaitė, held discussions with the Minister of National Defence and representatives from the Lithuanian Armed Forces and the State Border Guard Service, where they discussed the draft of the updated State Border Guard Cover Plan.
The State Border Guard Cover Plan is set to be submitted for government approval in the near future, and according to Minister Bilotaitė, the aim of the plan is to ensure the timely and efficient reinforcement of forces along the country’s border, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.
Commenting on the draft of the updated plan, Minister Bilotaitė said that it is important to make changes that would ensure the country’s stability in the event of a high threat level.
“After the change in the security situation in the region, it is necessary to make new decisions regarding the strengthening of the protection of our state’s border, which is also the external border of the European Union and NATO,” Minister Bilotaitė stated.
As the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Lithuania explains, the State Border Guard Cover Plan serves as a regulatory framework for the protection of external and internal borders in cases when enhanced stated border protection regimes are announced.
In line with this plan, the criteria are set based on the threat levels, “when and to what extent the Lithuanian army, the Rifle Association, other responsible intelligence institutions and services are used”.
The purpose of the plan is to enable a prompt as well as a proportional response to emerging threats to the national security of Lithuania. The response involves the implementation of comprehensive measures and coordinated inter-institutional actions.
Thus, ultimately, the plan aims to ensure reliable protection of the state border as well as effective controls of border crossings.
“The State Border Protection Cover Plan, as a legal tool, is provided for in the Law on the State Border and its Protection of the Republic of Lithuania and the Law on the Organization of the National Defense System and Military Service,” the Ministry added.
Lithuania has consistently been updating its rules and measures in order to ensure safety within the country.
Just recently, the Lithuanian authorities announced that the renovation work for the border patrol path along the border with Belarus is commencing.
The path, which runs parallel to the physical burier that Lithuania has with Belarus, plays an important role in monitoring as well as securing the border area, according to the Lithuanian authorities.
Moreover, the border patrol path is also expected to enhance the efficiency of border monitoring.