Vilnius, 9 June 2022 (TDI): The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania expressed deep sorrow after a car plowed into a crowd in Berlin’s Charlottenburg area on Wednesday.
We are deeply concerned and troubled about the horrible incident in Berlin 🇩🇪 near the #Breitscheidplatz. Our thoughts and prayers go to the victims and their families.
— Lithuania MFA | #StandWithUkraine (@LithuaniaMFA) June 8, 2022
The Ministry also expressed condolences and prayers for the victims and their families.
According to reports, the crash killed a teacher and injured 14 students while onlookers apprehended the driver.
The car crashed into the display window of the drugstore Douglas after driving onto the pavement along the famed Kurfürstendamm shopping promenade in the western city center.
The police suspect the motorist had mental health issues and were uncertain if it was a deliberate attack.
The driver is a 29-year-old German Armenian man living in Berlin who may be suffering from mental health concerns.
A teacher lost her life who was accompanying a group of kids to a visiting 10th-grade class.
Videos showed emergency professionals, including some flying in helicopters, arriving to assist individuals.
According to media reports, more than 100 emergency personnel, including mental health experts, arrived at the scene.
The Berlin-Vilnius relationship
Meanwhile, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz showed a willingness to increase its military presence in Lithuania as Russia invades Ukraine. He expressed these views during his visit to Lithuania on Tuesday.
“We are ready to strengthen our engagement and turn it into a formidable battle brigade,” Scholz told reporters after meeting with Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda and Latvian and Estonian prime ministers.
“We will protect every centimeter of NATO territory,” he added.
According to German government sources, Berlin will designate one combat-ready brigade with approximately 3,000 troops to defend Lithuania if necessary.
Also, Berlin will increase its troops in Lithuania from 1,000 to 1,500 as per the sources.
Furthermore, both leaders agreed that the multinational German-led NATO combat unit in Lithuania might be expanded in future.
Moreover, Berlin sent hundreds of additional troops to Lithuania in the immediate aftermath of Feb. 24 Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which Moscow calls a “special military operation”.
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