VILNIUS, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Half of Lithuania's population supports allocating 4 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) to defense, according to a poll commissioned by the "4 Procentai" initiative, the Baltic News Service (BNS) reported.

"More than half of the Lithuanian population wants increased spending on defense, and about half of them hope that a national agreement will be signed soon to enshrine the strategic goal of 4 percent of GDP for national defense," said Giedre Kaminskaite-Salters, CEO of telecom company Telia Lietuva and a member of the 4 Procentai board, at a press conference on Monday.

The poll found that 26.3 percent of respondents strongly agree with allocating 4 percent of GDP to defense, while 24.9 percent somewhat agree, and 23.6 percent neither agree nor disagree.

A significant majority, 69.9 percent, also believe that, in the event of an attack, the Lithuanian Armed Forces should be able to stop the enemy at the border and prevent further penetration into the country.

Andrius Romanovskis, president of the Lithuanian Business Confederation, stressed that achieving this goal requires strong political will to increase the defense budget.

Additionally, 75 percent of respondents said that part of Lithuania's defense needs and those of the rest of the European Union's eastern flank should be financed from the EU's common budget, with only 3.7 percent disagreeing.

The poll was conducted by market research company Norstat LT on behalf of 4 Procentai from Oct. 4 to Oct. 11, using an online survey method. The "4 Procentai" is an initiative of civil society aimed at urging Lithuanian politicians to agree on allocating 4 percent of GDP to the country's defense as soon as possible. Enditem

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