Lithuania presents new defense policy for the next decade.

The Lithuanian government presented a new agreement on defense policy for the upcoming decade to the country's parliamentary parties on Wednesday. The agreement is aimed at ensuring the continuity of Lithuania's defense policy throughout changeovers of the country's governments, said representatives of the government to local media.

(Credit: Lithuanian Ministry of Defense)

The cabinet has sent the draft version of the agreement to seven parliamentary parties for further discussions.

"This national agreement is valid until 2030 and will be implemented constantly by the state authorities, regardless of election cycles, political campaigns, results and changes of political powers," reads the draft agreement, as quoted by BNS news agency.

The agreement would also include the commitment to increase the country's defense spending to up to 2.5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) by 2030.

In 2018, Lithuania's defense expenditures are 873 million euros (1.01 billion U.S. dollars), or 2.01 percent of the country's GDP.

The decision to increase defense spending would push it further above the NATO target of 2.0 percent.

The previous national agreement on defense policy was signed in 2014 when parliamentary parties agreed to increase defense spending to meet the NATO target.

The new agreement would also include strengthening various parts of the Lithuanian Army, BNS reported.

Lithuania, a small Baltic country with a population of less than three million and NATO's eastern-flank member, has been strengthening its defense capabilities since 2014.