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Lithuania, Sweden call for EU unity over security challenges

21 October 2014 18:22 (UTC +04:00)

Lithuanian Prime Minister Algirdas Butkevicius and his Swedish counterpart Stefan Lofven exchanged views on regional safety issues during a meeting.

"We observe an increase of Russia's military power. We do not see it as a direct threat to Sweden, nevertheless, we have been monitoring what is going on in the region," Lofven said in the press conference held after the meeting.

The Swedish PM's visit to Lithuania came as Swedish armed forces hunt for a mystery submarine in the country's territorial waters. Local media reports said the ship is suspected to be Russian vessel while Russia has denied the presence of its submarine in the area.

Butkevicius said: "We must be very united, especially all countries of the EU and NATO, having in mind that we can only jointly withstand unexpected military challenges."

Sweden, a non-member of the NATO, is considered one of Lithuania's closest allies in the EU in terms of security, economy and political cooperation.