NATO Must Refocus Attention on Pressing Matters - Lithuanian Def. Ministry

NATO shouldn’t be so focused on the alleged “Russian threat” when there are more urgent and real problems to be dealt with, The Lithuanian defense ministry told reporters.

According to the Director of the Department at the Defense Ministry of Lithuania Robertas Sapronas, NATO needs to find balance in the way it distributes its attention, since the alliance is currently creating too much furor about potential threats instead of offering its assistance regarding the world's more existential issues.

There are things that are actually happening right now, like the migrant crisis and terrorism, Sapronas told reporters at IV Ukrainian Youth Forum. He believes that NATO should focus more on such issues.

"NATO knows all about answering threats coming from Russia," the defense minister said. "Problem is, it is unclear how NATO can help with issues like migration."

Even though the alliance's vessels are currently patrolling the Aegean Sea, there are certain legal matters that hinder resolving the problem. For instance, it is unclear whether migrants that suffered a shipwreck near those vessels should be sent back to Turkey or left on Greek shores, Sapronas noted.

Frontex (European Agency for the Management of Operational Cooperation at the External Borders of the Member States of the European Union) estimated that 68 000 migrants entered EU in January 2016.

According to NATO's 2010 Strategic Concept "Active Engagement, Modern Defence," crises management is one of the alliance's top-priority objectives.