Lithuanian, UK ministers to discuss closer defense cooperation

VILNIUS – Lithuanian Economy and Innovation Minister Ausrine Armonaite, on a visit to the United Kingdom this week, is to meet with Minister for Industry and Economic Security Alan Mak to discuss Ukraine's reconstruction and closer bilateral economic cooperation, the Economy and Innovation Ministry said on Tuesday.

The officials will also discuss the issue of investment in Lithuanian defense innovations, it said. 

"The United Kingdom is one of Lithuania's key economic and political partners, so we see the potential to strengthen defense and security cooperation and to jointly implement Ukraine's infrastructure reconstruction projects," Armonaite said in the press release.

UK investments would help speed up innovation development in the defense and security industry and bolster bilateral Lithuanian-UK partnership in defense, according to the ministry.

Armonaite said that Lithuania also seeks closer partnership in the life science, smart engineering, or defense innovation sectors. 

She plans to discuss cooperation in biotechnology, medical technology and clinical research during the meeting.

As part of her UK visit, Armonaite has already met with top executives from BlackRock, The Bank of London and Revolut Bank, with meetings planned with Thredd and Builder.ai.

Trade between Lithuania and the UK totaled 2.34 billion euros last year, with exports at 1.5 billion euros and imports at 846 million euros, according to the ministry.