LITHUANIA DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
IN THIS ISSUE:
- IMF mission starts work in Lithuania
- Upcoming events in Lithuania for Friday, May 24, 2024
- Home voting starts in Lithuania's presidential run-off
- Parliament to host 1st event of Lithuania's Council of Europe presidency
- Lithuania records no illegal border crossings from Belarus
- Presidential election run-off in Lithuania: Vegele backs Nauseda
- Defmin expects Lithuanian drone makers to scrap Chinese parts over summer
- Lithuanian formin sets out CoE presidency priorities, stresses Russia's accountability
- Lithuania's UDS raises EUR 3.2 mln for drone production development
- Regional countries agree in 'drone wall' to protect borders – Lithuania intermin
- Upcoming events in Lithuania for Monday, May 27, 2024
IMF mission starts work in Lithuania
VILNIUS, May 24, BNS - An International Monetary Fund mission starts work in Lithuania on Friday.
Led by Borja Gracia, the mission will work in Vilnius until June 7, the Bank of Lithuania said.
During the two weeks, the IMF experts will meet with the management of the Bank of Lithuania managers, representatives of the Finance Ministry and other state institutions, as well as the private sector.
"The IMF experts will get acquainted with the overall macroeconomic situation in Lithuania and labor market trends. The meetings with the representatives of institutions will also include discussions on fiscal policy, the structural reform agenda, and financial sector regulation," the central bank said in its statement.
Lithuania has been a member of the IMF since 1992.
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Upcoming events in Lithuania for Friday, May 24, 2024
VILNIUS, May 24, BNS – The following events are scheduled in Lithuania for Friday, May 24, 2024.
SPEAKER OF THE SEIMAS Viktorija Cmilyte-Nielsen to partake in an international conference on Lithuania's EU membership at Vilnius University at 9 a.m.; to attend a meeting of the Standing Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe at 9.30 a.m.
PRIME MINISTER Ingrida Simonyte to have breakfast with the WOMEN@PACE group of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe at 8.30 a.m.; to to partake in an international conference on Lithuania's EU membership at Vilnius University at 9 a.m.; to attend the Drone Day 2024 event organized by the Ministry of National Defense and the Defense Materiel Agency at 9.45 a.m.
JUSTICE MINISTRY Ewelina Dobrowolska to attend in an international conference on Lithuania's EU membership at Vilnius University at 9 a.m.
FOREIGN MINISTER Gabrielius Landsbergis to present the priorities of the Lithuanian Presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe to members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.
INTERIOR MINISTER Agne Bilotaite to attend a meeting of the Baltic, Polish, Finnish, Norwegian and Ukrainian interior ministers in Latvia.
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Home voting starts in Lithuania's presidential run-off
VILNIUS, May 24, BNS – Home voting for Sunday's presidential run-off between President Gitanas Nauseda and Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte got underway in Lithuania on Friday.
Those eligible to vote at home on Friday and Saturday include people with disabilities and their caregivers, voters aged over 70 years, and those unable to vote in polling stations due to health issues.
On Wednesday through Friday, voting is also organized in hospitals, social care establishments, military units and prisons.
Over 180,000 people, or almost 8 percent of all registered voters, cast their ballots during the three days of early voting, according to preliminary figures from the Central Electoral Commission.
Nauseda, the incumbent who is running for re-election as an independent candidate, came first in the first round on May 12 with almost 44 percent of the vote.
Simonyte, the candidate of the ruling conservative Homeland Union-Lithuanian Christian Democrats, finished second with 20 percent.
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Parliament to host 1st event of Lithuania's Council of Europe presidency
VILNIUS, May 24, BNS – The Seimas is hosting on Friday a meeting of the Standing Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), marking the first event under Lithuania's presidency of the organization's Committee of Ministers.
Lithuania earlier this month took over the presidency of the CoE Committee of Ministers from Liechtenstein for the next six months.
"It has been 22 years since Lithuania last held the rotating presidency of Europe's most important human rights organization," the International Relations Unit of the Office of the Seimas has said in a press release.
"Drawing on the conclusions of the 2023 Council of Europe Summit in Reykjavík, Lithuania chose protection of our values against aggression and authoritarianism, democracy, human rights and the rule of law at home and worldwide, and digital dimension of freedom among the priorities for its Presidency," it said.
The Standing Committee will prepare for further PACE work and ensure continuity based on these priorities, according to the press release.
Opening speeches will be delivered on Friday by PACE President Theodoros Rousopoulos, Viktorija Cmilyte-Nielsen, speaker of the Seimas, and Vytautas Landsbergis, Lithuania's first post-independence leader and former PACE delegation member.
"The Standing Committee will discuss a variety of topics, including child labor, quality education for children with special educational needs, cultural heritage, climate change, and ending the detention of 'socially maladjusted' persons," according to the press release.
Over 30 events will be organized in Vilnius and Strasbourg, where PACE is headquartered, during the Lithuanian presidency, which will run until November 13.
The Council of Europe is an international organization which aims to uphold human rights, democracy and the rule of law in Europe. It was founded in 1949 and currently has 47 member states.
The organization's main institutions are the Committee of Ministers, the Parliamentary Assembly, the European Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, and the European Court of Human Rights.
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Lithuania records no illegal border crossings from Belarus
VILNIUS, May 24, BNS – Thursday marked yet another day of no recorded attempts to cross into Lithuania from Belarus illegally, the State Border Guard Service (SBGS) said on Friday morning.
Latvia reported 17 attempts at illegal border crossings on Thursday, and 244 irregular migrants were not allowed into Poland on Wednesday, according to the latest available information.
A total of 206 irregular migrants have been barred from entering Lithuania from Belarus at non-designated places so far this year.
The influx of irregular migrants to the EU's eastern member states from Belarus began in 2021 and is blamed by the West on the Minsk regime.
Almost 4,200 irregular migrants crossed into Lithuania from Belarus illegally in 2021. However, the vast majority of them fled Lithuania once they were allowed to move freely.
Lithuanian border guards have prevented a total of almost 22,000 people from crossing in from Belarus since August 3, 2021, when they were given the right to turn away irregular migrants. The number includes repeated attempts by the same people to cross the border.
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Presidential election run-off in Lithuania: Vegele backs Nauseda
VILNIUS, May 24, BNS - Lawyer Ignas Vegele, who came third in the first round of the presidential election in Lithuania, has expressed his support to Gitanas Nauseda as he's seeking re-election.
"I am encouraging you to cast your vote for Gitanas Nauseda and give him a second chance," he posted on his Facebook account on Friday. "Clearly, a second chance for Gitanas Nauseda is better than an open door for Simonyte's bullying, arrogance, inability to listen, and the humiliation of people. We must now show the conservatives how the public feels about their four-year governance, so they do not feel the urge to puff themselves up with good results either before the European Parliament or the Seimas elections."
The former presidential candidate says that although he criticized Nauseda during the election campaign, many of his ideas were heard and some have already been implemented.
"I also saw Gitanas Nauseda change his approach after hearing the public opinion. I hope that, having received a great deal of trust and welcoming the new Seimas in the fall, with whom he will be able to negotiate and seek the best solutions for Lithuania, Gitanas Nauseda will remove doubts that the greater principled and determined approach and the clearer listening to the opinion of the Lithuanian population during the election campaign were not just a campaign gimmick," Vegele wrote.
Vegele received 12 percent of the vote during the first round of voting in the presidential election. While Nauseda got almost 44 percent, and 20 percent voted for Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte.
The presidential run-off will take place on Sunday.
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Defmin expects Lithuanian drone makers to scrap Chinese parts over summer
VILNIUS, May 24, BNS – As Lithuania wants to integrate domestically produced drones into its army, Defense Minister Laurynas Kasciunas hopes Lithuanian drone makers will give up Chinese-made parts over the summer.
"When will (Lithuanian - BNS) manufacturers' drones become more integrated into the Lithuanian army? There's one point that we are already dealing with, but we still need some time, and we have heard that there's a breakthrough, it has to do with a kind of dependence on Chinese-made parts," Kasciunas told journalists at the Kyviskes airfield on Friday.
"We have asked manufacturers how much time they need to to get completely free from Chinese parts. Some are talking about the end of June, some are talking about the summer. We are moving forward. Once this is done, there is an immediate opportunity to re-plan and rebuild our entire industry in a completely different way and based on the needs of the Lithuanian Armed Forces," the minister said.
Now in Lithuania, the army is not allowed by law to use Chinese-made parts in their armaments.
The only one-year exception is in place for equipment provided as support to Ukraine for testing and research purposes.
In order to develop drone capability, the Defense Ministry will allocate 10 million euros to Lithuanian UAV manufacturers for the development of combat FPV, reconnaissance and other types of drones. Of this, 3 million euros will be allocated to support Ukraine with combat FPV drones. A further 7 million euros will be earmarked for the production and development of various types of drones.
"This is linked to support for Ukraine. Drones will be purchased, they will provided as support to Ukraine, tested there, the latest technologies will be tested and moved back to Lithuania," Kasciunas said.
For her part, Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte says Lithuanian drones are necessary not only for the army, but also for other national institutions.
"Our border guards are using them. We have more institutions than the army that need them, and they also need anti-drone equipment. We would like to meet those needs, as far as possible, with products made by our own manufacturers because in this way we are not only supporting our own industry but we are also leaving money at home," she said, adding that the existing priority is to develop UAV capacity with Lithuanian products, not with drones purchased abroad.
"Obviously, you have to look at the specifics of each capability that needs to be developed, what our industry can or will produce. It is not a fact that what we see today is what our industry will be able to do. Our industry will be able to do more," Simonyte said.
Earlier this week, the Defense Ministry unveiled an UAV capability development plan that calls for launching drone operator courses at the Military Academy in September, setting up a registry of drone operators, promoting local manufacturers, and bolstering drone development through the paramilitary Riflemen's Union and NGOs.
In late March, the State Defense Council decided that the army must have a fully operational drone capability by 2027.
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Lithuanian formin sets out CoE presidency priorities, stresses Russia's accountability
VILNIUS, May 24, BNS - The fate of Europe is now being decided in Ukraine, and Russia and Belarus must answer for their crimes, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said on Friday, presenting the priorities of Lithuania's chairmanship of the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers.
"The fate of Europe is currently being decided in Ukraine. It is our fundamental obligation to support Ukraine in this fight until its victory, whatever victory takes," he told the Standing Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in Vilnius.
"Our presidency priorities stem from a clear understanding that ongoing Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine is also an attack on our shared values. Therefore, full support to Ukraine defending itself, as well as ensuring accountability of Russia and its accomplices for international crimes is the primary focus for the Lithuanian Presidency," the foreign minister added.
The issue of Russia's accountability will not be closed until the political and military leadership of this country and its accomplices in Belarus are brought to justice for their aggression against Ukraine, he underlined.
This is Lithuania's second presidency of the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers.
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Lithuania's UDS raises EUR 3.2 mln for drone production development
VILNIUS, May 24, BNS – Lithuania's defense and dual-purpose technology company Unmanned Defense Systems (UDS) has raised 3.2 million euros in investment from a group of private investors led by the venture capital fund Coinvest Capital.
The company said in a press release on Friday that the investment will go toward accelerating the development of proprietary swarm technologies, improving drone autonomy and inter-drone coordination, and expanding product exports to new markets.
Defense Minister Laurynas Kasciunas says the investment shows that Lithuanian companies are capable of developing advanced products and have something to offer not only to the Lithuanian Armed Forces, but also to allies.
Coinvest Capital, together with a group of 7 accredited business angels and an angel syndicate of 41 private investors, is investing a total of 1.6 million euros, with the fund's share at 0.9 million euros.
A further 0.5 million of the share issue is reserved for potential international investors.
Experienced Lithuanian aerospace entrepreneurs are investing another 1.1 million euros.
Vytenis Buzas, UDS' nominated chairman of the board, says the company has "the ambition to prove to the world that Lithuania is as great in developing high-tech military UAVs, as we are in aerospace or lasers".
UDS develops AI-based swarm integrations with contemporary battlefield management systems.
The company has already won multiple defense procurement tenders and supplies its solutions to the Lithuanian and Ukrainian armed forces, other EU members, and NATO allies.
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Regional countries agree in 'drone wall' to protect borders – Lithuania intermin
VILNIUS, May 24, BNS – Regional countries have agreed to create a "drone wall" to protect their external borders using unmanned aerial vehicles, Lithuanian Interior Minister Agne Bilotaite says.
She made the remarks after a meeting on Friday in Latvia with her counterparts from the other two Baltic states, Poland, Finland and Norway.
"This is a completely new thing, a drone wall stretching from Norway to Poland, and the goal is to use drones and other technologies to protect our borders. Not only with physical infrastructure, surveillance systems, but also with drones and other technologies, which would allow us to protect against provocations from unfriendly countries and to prevent smuggling," Bilotaite told BNS.
To create such a "drone wall", countries would use UAVs to monitor their border area, as well as anti-drone systems to stop drones from hostile countries being used for smuggling and provocations.
According to Bilotaite, Lithuania had already made plans to step u the protection of its border with the help of drones and the State Border Guard Service has recently established an UAV unit and is in the process of acquiring additional drones and anti-drone systems.
Now, the countries will assess what "homework" they need to do and then, with the help of experts, national authorities will draw up a plan to implement the "drone wall".
Bilotaite could not say when the idea would be implemented, saying that the "drone wall" could be created using EU funds.
The meeting also agreed to organize joint evacuation drills in the countries involved, she said.
"We agreed to hold regional drills to ensure the evacuation of the population, to see how our institutions are prepared to work, to interact with each other, what our capacity is to accommodate people, what the capacity of other countries is, whether they are ready to receive a certain number of our people," the interior minister said.
"We still have a lot of questions, we need to look at all those algorithms, and drills would be very valuable as we would look at things and we would evaluate them and we would strengthen our preparedness," she added.
Lithuania's preparedness is currently being assessed by an EU evacuation mission and it is expected to make its recommendations in June.
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Upcoming events in Lithuania for Monday, May 27, 2024
VILNIUS, May 27, BNS – The following events are scheduled in Lithuania for Monday, May 27, 2024.
FOREIGN MINISTER Gabrielius Landsbergis to meet with participants of the European Academy of Diplomacy, to attend a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels.
BNSPOST-ELECTON PRESS CONFERENCES
BNS and LRT to hold press conferences on the results of the presidential election runoff:
Gitanas Nauseda at 9 a.m.
Ingrida Simonytr at 9.30 a.m.
CENTRAL ELECTORAL COMMISSION chair Lina Petroniene and CEC members to hold a press conference at noon.
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