"We have proposed a budget increase, which is about 50 million (litas) this year. I believe we should have an analogous increase next year, as well, maybe a little bigger," the minister told Žinių Radijas on Tuesday.
Funding of the Defense Ministry stood at 870.2 million litas in 2012 and 924.6 million litas this year, accounting for 0.77 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP) in both years. NATO member-states have committed themselves to earmark 2 percent of the GDP for defense, although most countries have so far failed to reach the target. Following repeated criticism from NATO over insufficient defense spending, the Lithuanian administration has pledged to pull up the defense spending to 1 percent of the GDP in 2016.
"We would like to emphasize the growth in absolute numbers, while the decline in the GDP percentage has stopped and may gradually turn into growth," Olekas said on Tuesday.
In his words, Lithuania's government will start discussing the budget draft in September.
