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VILNIUS, March 23 (Xinhua) -- The Dutch troops completed their deployment to Lithuania on Thursday as part of a NATO enhanced forward presence (EFP) battalion.
Around 100 Dutch troops landed in northern Lithuania, reaching the full capacity of Dutch personnel deployed in the Baltic State.
"In total, roughly 250 soldiers of the Royal Netherlands Armed Forces will serve in the NATO EFP battalion battlegroup," the Lithuanian defense ministry announced.
Earlier this week, the Dutch forces brought to Lithuania around 40 military vehicles.
Troops from the Netherlands are part of a German-led multinational battalion deployed in Lithuania under the agreement of NATO leaders at the Warsaw summit last year. The multinational battalion of around 1,200 troops is to reach its full operational capacity by mid-June.
According to the Lithuanian defense ministry, around 400 German and 100 Belgian soldiers have already been deployed in Lithuania.
Lithuania has asked for increased military presence from its NATO allies in response to security tensions in Eastern Europe, following conflicts in Eastern Ukraine in 2014.
