Gitanas NausÄ—da at the Lithuania-Czechia Business Forum: Security begins with economic and technological sovereignty

President Gitanas Nausėda and Czech President Petr Pavel participated in the Lithuania-Czechia Business Forum, where new opportunities for bilateral industrial and technological cooperation were discussed.

The high-level event brought together representatives of politics, business, and science from both countries to discuss partnerships in the defense industry, high technology, life sciences and innovation. Three memorandums of understanding were signed during the forum: in the field of laser and photonics research; on business and industrial cooperation in the field of defense and security; and on partnership in the life sciences and biotechnology sectors. In his speech, President Gitanas Nausėda emphasized that in the current geopolitical environment, security is not limited to military means. "Security today is a much broader concept. It entails the resilience of our supply chains, the independence of our energy, and the sovereignty of our technology. Every dependency creates vulnerabilities," he said.

The President highlighted Lithuania's experience in ending its energy dependence on Russia and strengthening its economic resilience, noting that this hard-won economic independence is now becoming an important foundation for security.

The Head of State also underlined Lithuania's decision to increase defense spending to 5.4% of GDP this year. "Lithuania sees this not as a burden, but as an investment in the future. We are not just buying military equipment but also building an industrial ecosystem that will stay open to our closest allies," the President said.

According to Gitanas Nausėda, Czechia's industrial experience perfectly complements Lithuania's achievements in the fields of lasers, sensors and cybersecurity. He invited Czech business leaders to become more actively involved in joint projects and to work together to shape the future of the European defense industry.

The forum also discussed opportunities for cooperation in the life sciences sector. The President noted that Lithuania's life sciences sector is growing by around 25% annually, while biotechnology already accounts for nearly 3% of the country's GDP.

Speaking about high technologies, President Gitanas Nausėda highlighted Lithuania's laser industry. According to the Head of State, ultra-short pulse lasers developed in Lithuania account for more than half of the global scientific laser market and are used in some of the world's most advanced research institutions.

Gitanas Nausėda underlined that Lithuania seeks to strengthen its partnership with Czechia in strategic areas and sees the Czech business community as an important partner in building a secure and innovation-driven future for Europe.