Commander of the Brigade -learning Lithuanian language: Lithuania does a fantastic work

LNK journalist talked to Ch. Huber.

– You speak Lithuanian perfectly. How do you learn such a complex language?

– In fact, I should admit that it is a complex language, at least for me, as a German, but in German itself. Be that as it may, I am not satisfied with my progress, it is not as I would, but I try to make every effort. The good news is that my soldiers speak better in Lithuanian than I do, but I am learning your language in the evenings and I think it is very important.

– Well, but you will definitely have time to learn Lithuanian. Perhaps you expect Lithuanians to learn how to speak German more?

– In fact, there are Lithuanians who speak German, it may not be very surprising to me, but sometimes, when I dress in a uniform, when I walk in the Old Town of Vilnius, Lithuanians come to me and say « thank you » in German and say « thank you for your service » and, to be honest, it’s wonderful.

LNK stop shot.

– It is a historical solution for both Lithuania and Germany. In Lithuania itself, the German brigade is supported by as much as 85 percent. of the population. How do the Germans themselves appreciate and what is the mood for it in Germany?

– First of all, we are grateful that we can be here in Lithuania. It is wonderful for us to feel such a great support from the Lithuanian people, the Lithuanian society for our presence here. We are really grateful to Lithuania for being so supportive. We are also abundantly supported in Germany, both in our parliament and the public for our determination to strengthen NATO’s eastern wing here in Lithuania, as it is also important for German security. So we are here to fill the security gaps with our allies and our Lithuanian friends from the Lithuanian Armed Forces. We are together to protect our freedom to defend our democracy and our common values.

– How do you appreciate the preparation for the German Brigade? Where are you doing, and where else should I stretch?

-Our ministers signed the agreement as early as December 2023. From this political agreement between our ministers, we are doing work step by step as planned, not delayed, it really seems confident. I think the biggest challenge and the most important task is to provide the right infrastructure in the German Brigade, what Lithuania is doing now. I see how much effort is done – everyone does the most of everything possible to happen. Because of this, we are very grateful, this is an extremely difficult task, I should say that Lithuania is doing a fantastic work.

– How do German soldiers already come? Do you easily agree with Lithuanians both in the service and after working hours?

– Well, I think it’s really simple. We are now mostly in Vilnius, but also in the surrounding towns, such as Nemenčinė, and we get great support and gratitude for our presence here, so it is very easy for us. As I mentioned at the beginning, my soldiers here, in the evenings after the service, learn Lithuanian because we feel at home here, it is really important to us.

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– Thursday is an important day – your soldiers will introduce themselves to the public. What can residents expect to see in the Cathedral Square? Military equipment, parade and perhaps even a little German charm?

– Well, I hope for some German charm. In fact, it will be a German military parade, we will see at 2 pm. There will also be our Chancellor, our Defense Minister together with the President of Lithuania and the Minister of National Defense. It will definitely be a great event in the Cathedral Square, and later a concert with German and Lithuanian music groups awaits us. Well, we will show the military equipment itself from 12 noon, which will be both German and Lithuanian modern weaponry. Both the state -of -the -art Puma and even the main combat tank, Leopard, will be available.

– And finally, we have a delicious question for you – how do you get used to Lithuanian food? Because on the Lithuanian table can we see Currywurst sausages often?

– We really love Lithuanian cuisine. We love zeppelins and what is being supplied together – we get a great soup, I am talking about mushroom soup, which is supplied with heated bread, I really like it. It’s just wonderful. And when we go out into the Old Town, there are a lot of culinary opportunities in general. It’s really great.