LITHUANIA DAILY NEWS BULLETIN

IN THIS ISSUE:

1. Upcoming events in Lithuania for Thursday, February 2, 2023
2. European chief prosecutor visiting Lithuania
3. Thirteen irregular migrants turned away on Lithuania's border with Belarus
4. Lithuania reports 345 new COVID-19 cases, 2 deaths
5. Enhanced US Army rotation to begin mission in Lithuania 
6. Two Vilnius courts get new presidents
7. Baltic ministers to discuss joint appeal to IOC to bar Russians from Olympics
8. Jewish community turns to Lithuanian formin over party member's insulting words
9. Lithuanian, Czech chiefs of defense agree on further cooperation
10. EC to announce aid package, discuss Ukraine's EU membership in Kyiv – Lithuanian rep
11. Lithuania's CEC removes three mayoral candidates, five party lists from municipal election
12. Lithuanian president favors extending tax incentive for investments in new technologies
13. Lithuania issued record-high number of residence permits in 2022
14. Lithuanian PM, Europe's chief prosecutor talks Russian sanctions
15. Some candidates for Lithuanian municipal elections registered despite hidden links to KGB
16. Lithuania's Audimas says its brands used in Russia without authorization
17. Lithuanian president, PM talk EU's Russia sanctions with Europe's chief prosecutor (updates)
18. Baltics, Poland call on IOC to bar Russian, Belarusian athletes from intl competitions
19. A number to complain, buy 'pot': Lithuanians ingeniously invite donations for Ukraine
20. Lithuanian court won’t hear Rosneft's lawsuit due to natl security concerns
21. Upcoming events in Lithuania for Friday, February 3, 2023

Upcoming events in Lithuania for Thursday, February 2, 2023

VILNIUS, Feb 02, BNS – The following events are scheduled in Lithuania for Thursday, February 2, 2023:

PRESIDENT Gitanas Nauseda to meet with MPs, government officials, business representatives and economists at 10 a.m. to discuss Lithuania's economic growth and investments; to meet with European Chief Prosecutor Laura Codruta Kovesi at 1 p.m. 

PRIME MINISTER Ingrida Simonyte to meet with Kovesi at 10 a.m. 

EDUCATION, SCIENCE AND SPORT MINISTER Jurgita Siugzdiniene to meet with the Latvian and Estonian ministers responsible for sport via video link at 1:45 p.m.

JUSTICE MINISTER Ewelina Dobrowolska to meet with Kovesi at 9 a.m. 

FOREIGN MINISTER Gabrielius Landsbergis to meet with the ambassador of Georgia; to meet with the ambassador of South Korea. 

ARMED FORCES

The General Silvestras Zukauskas Training Area in Pabrade, close to Vilnius, to host at 3 p.m. a changeover ceremony of US rotational battalions deployed in Lithuania. 

 

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European chief prosecutor visiting Lithuania

VILNIUS, Feb 02, BNS – European Chief Prosecutor Laura Kovesi is visiting Lithuania. 

On Thursday, Kovesi is scheduled to meet with President Gitanas Nauseda, Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte and Justice Minister Ewelina Dobrowolska. 

She met with Police Commissioner General Renatas Pozela and the leadership of the Prosecutor General's Office on Wednesday.

Kovesi and Simonyte plan to discuss the activities of the European Public Prosecutor's Office and administrative support for its activities in Lithuania, and the institution's role in ensuring compliance with the EU's sanctions against Russia, the government's press office has said.

Kovesi, who was appointed as the first European chief prosecutor in 2019, paid a visit to Lithuania in February 2020.

Launched in June 2021, the European Public Prosecutor's Office is responsible for investigating, prosecuting and bringing to judgment crimes against the EU's financial interests, including several types of fraud, VAT fraud, money laundering, corruption, etc.

 

By Jūratė Skėrytė

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Thirteen irregular migrants turned away on Lithuania's border with Belarus

VILNIUS, Feb 02, BNS – Lithuanian border guards have in the past 24 hours turned away 13o migrants attempting to cross into the country from Belarus illegally, the State Border Guard Service (SBGS) said on Thursday morning.

Latvia reported six attempts at illegal border crossings on Wednesday, and 37 irregular migrants were not allowed into Poland on Tuesday, according to the latest available information.

A total of 232 irregular migrants have been barred from entering Lithuania from Belarus at non-designated places so far this year.

Lithuanian border guards have prevented over 19,500 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.

Lithuanian border guards have prevented over 19,500 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.

The SBGS says that illegal migration to Lithuania and the EU is being facilitated by Belarusian officials. 

Almost 4,200 irregular migrants crossed into Lithuania from Belarus illegally in 2021.

 

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Lithuania reports 345 new COVID-19 cases, 2 deaths

VILNIUS, Feb 02, BNS – Lithuania has recorded 345 new coronavirus infections and two deaths from COVID-19 over the past 24 hours, official statistics showed on Thursday morning.

Of the new cases, 239 were primary, 93 were secondary and 13 were tertiary.

The number of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 now stands at 122, including four ICU cases.

The 14-day primary infection rate has edged up to 124.9 cases per 100,000 people, with the seven-day percentage of positive tests up to 20.6 percent.

The daily number of new coronavirus cases remains well below the peak of over 14,000 reached in early February 2022.

More than 1.17 million people in Lithuania have tested positive with COVID-19 at least once.

Some 69.7 percent of people in the country have received at least one coronavirus vaccine jab so far.

 

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Enhanced US Army rotation to begin mission in Lithuania 

VILNIUS, Feb 02, BNS –  Rotational US Army battalions in Lithuania are holding a casing and uncasing of colors ceremony at the General Silvestras Zukauskas Training Area in Pabrade, close to Vilnius, on Thursday.

Troops from the 1st Battalion of the 8th Cavalry Regiment and the 3rd Battalion of the 16th Field Artillery Regiment are starting their rotation in Lithuania, the Armed Forces said in a press release. 

"It will be the first reinforced American rotation since the US decision last fall to ensure a persistent US rotational presence in Lithuania," the military said.  

The American troops have arrived in Lithuania for the nine-month deployment from their home base in Fort Hood, Texas.

The new rotation brings along M1A2 Abrams tanks, Bradley IFVs, M1068A3 armored personnel carriers, trucks, and other military equipment.

While in Lithuania, the US troops will regularly take part in exercises, thus increasing interoperability between the allied armed forces, according to the press release. 

Last December, Washington's embassy in Vilnius said that the US would further step up its military presence in the Baltic countries and change the status of American forces in Lithuania to "a persistent rotational presence". 

For the past few years, the US battalion has been deployed at the Pabrade training area with longer or shorter breaks between rotations.

A company-size unit of around 150 US troops was stationed in Lithuania on a rotational basis in the wake of Russia's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014. 

After company rotations ended three years later, the US has been deploying battalions more regularly to Lithuania since 2019.

 

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Two Vilnius courts get new presidents

VILNIUS, Feb 02, BNS – Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda has appointed the presidents of two Vilnius courts.

Loreta Brazdiene starts her second term as president of the Vilnius Regional Court on Thursday.

She has served as president of the Vilnius Regional Court from 2017 until early December when her term of office ended. She was the only candidate for this position.

Meanwhile, Gediminas Uzubalis on Thursday assumed the position of president of the Vilnius Regional Administrative Court.

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Baltic ministers to discuss joint appeal to IOC to bar Russians from Olympics

VILNIUS, Feb 02, BNS – Lithuanian Education, Science and Sport Minister Jurgita Siugzdiniene is meeting with her Latvian and Estonian counterparts via video link on Thursday to discuss her initiative for a joint Baltic appeal to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to bar Russian and Belarusian athletes from the Olympics.

"Efforts to bring Russian and Belarusian athletes back into competition under the guise of neutrality are helping Russian and Belarusian propaganda to prop up the criminal regimes of these countries by claiming that not everyone sees Russia or Belarus as aggressors," Siugzdiniene has said. 

"We do not agree with this and we do not want our athletes to be forced to compete with representatives of the aggressors and to sacrifice their values and those of the countries and societies they represent," she said. 

Siugzdiniene has initiated Thursday's remote meeting with the Latvian and Estonian ministers responsible for sport to discuss the highlights of the document, according to the Lithuanian Education, Science and Sport Ministry.  

It is also planned to invite the Nordic and other countries to join the appeal, it said.

The IOC suggested last week that Russians and Belarusians should be allowed to participate in the 2024 Paris Olympics as "neutral athletes".

"No athlete should be prevented from competing just because of their passport," it said in a statement. 

The Baltic states and Poland say they do not support such a move, and Latvia is even considering boycotting the Olympics if Russian athletes take part.

 

By Milena Andrukaitytė

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., +370 5 239 64 16, Vilnius newsroom

Jewish community turns to Lithuanian formin over party member's insulting words

VILNIUS, Feb 02, BNS - The Jewish Community of Lithuania on Thursday turned to the country's Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis, leader of the ruling conservative Homeland Union-Lithuanian Christian Democrats, over the words of the party's member, the elder of the town of Nemaksciai in the western district of Raseiniai, which it considers to be anti-Semitic.

The appeal comes in response to a report of a local publication on Remigijus Laugalis' statement during a meeting with voters when he said: "Those who will not vote for me will get buried at the Jewish cemetery".

"These insulting words that single out Jewish people from the society as a whole are openly anti-Semitic, inciting hatred and fear. Moreover, they were said at a particularly sensitive time when the whole world was commemorating the International Holocaust Remembrance Day," the Jewish community said in its statement.

It also underlines that Laugalis, who is running for the Raseiniai District Council with the incumbent mayor and HU-LCD member Andrius Bautronis, humiliated "the town and demonstrated his lack of knowledge about the history of his region".

"The old Jewish cemetery in Nemaksciai was put on the Register of Cultural Heritage in 1993 because of its cultural and historical significance and is protected by the state," the statement reads.

The Jewish Community of Lithuania has also turned to Raseiniai Mayor Audrius Bautronis and Laugalis, expecting their unequivocal response.

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Lithuanian, Czech chiefs of defense agree on further cooperation

VILNIUS, Feb 02, BNS – Lithuania's Chief of Defense Lieutenant General Valdemaras Rupsys and Major General Karel Rehka, Chief of the General Staff of the Czech Armed Forces, have agreed on further cooperation, the Lithuanian military said on Tuesday. 

"We agreed to expand military cooperation in the field of CBRN (chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear security) by participating in collective level exercises organized in the Czech Republic or by training military personnel to conduct CBRN reconnaissance and work with chemical samples," Rupsys said in a press release.

During their meeting on Monday, the chief of defense also thanked his Czech counterpart for Czech troops' participation in NATO's enhanced Forward Presence Battalion Battle Group in Lithuania and in the Alliance's Baltic air policing mission.

Rehka came to Lithuania as part of a delegation led by Czech Defense Minister Jana Cernochova. 

The delegation visited the Lithuanian Great Hetman Jonusas Radvila Training Regiment and met with Czech troops serving in the NATO battle group.

The Czech Armed Forces have been sending rotations to the NATO battle group in Lithuania on a regular basis since 2018, and the Czech Air Force has contributed JAS 39C Gripen fighter jets to the Baltic air policing mission flown from Lithuania's Siauliai air base. 

Military personnel from the two countries participate in joint training and other military events.

 

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EC to announce aid package, discuss Ukraine's EU membership in Kyiv – Lithuanian rep

VILNIUS, Feb 02, BNS - The European Commission will announce a new aid package for Ukraine and discuss the prospects of the country's EU membership during its visit to Kyiv, Lithuanian EC member Virginijus Sinkevicius, who is part of the EC delegation, says.

"The president will announce an additional package of 50 million euros. It’s big, compared to the total aid of 50 billion euros, but it will be another new additional package," the commissioner told BNS by phone from Kyiv on Thursday.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and 15 commissioners are visiting Ukraine at Sinkevicius' initiative.

"We plan to discuss a whole range of issues – from the announcement of a new aid package to the budget, financial issues, the coordination of diplomatic efforts, and the green and sustainable reconstruction of Ukrainian cities. An agreement on hydrogen and biomethane production, cooperation and development will be signed", the politician said.

Ukraine is making progress on its path towards EU membership, Sinkevicius said, adding that he can only assess the country's processes in his own area of competence.

"The country is certainly making progress. It's fantastic how Ukraine manages everything during the war," Sinkevicius said. "We have made a lot of progress, despite it being one of the most difficult areas, but we have probably covered more than 70 percent of the legislation. Of course, adopting laws is not enough, they need to be implemented and this will take time, but we are ready to support Ukraine."

Kyiv's progress will be assessed in more detail in a report, the politician said.

In June, EU leaders agreed to grant Ukraine candidate status, paving the way for Kyiv to start the process of joining the EU, which can take years, if not decades, and will require fundamental governance reforms and difficult negotiations.

"But the key message of this visit is that the European Commission, the European Union will stand with Ukraine until the end and will support Ukraine in every way possible," Sinkevicius said.

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Lithuania's CEC removes three mayoral candidates, five party lists from municipal election

VILNIUS, Feb 02, BNS – Lithuania's central Election Commission on Thursday removed three mayoral candidates and five party lists candidates from the upcoming municipal election.

The candidates were removed for failure to meet the Electoral Code requirements as they failed to collect the required number of voters' signatures, failed to submit their biographies and photographs after a court ruling or failed to serve an imposed sentence.

According to the CEC, 21 politicians failed to submit their biographies and photographs. Almost 500 politicians were initially removed from the election for this reason but the Supreme Administrative Court of Lithuania ordered the CEC to reconsider its decision and set a deadline for candidates to correct the shortcomings, and most politicians did so.

Lithuanian will hold local elections on March 5.

By Jūratė Skėrytė

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Lithuanian president favors extending tax incentive for investments in new technologies

VILNIUS, Feb 02, BNS – Lithuania should keep the existing corporate income tax incentive for businesses investing in technological renewal, which is set to expire this year, in place for another five years to provide stability for companies, President Gitanas Nauseda said on Thursday.

 "I was pleased to hear an almost unanimous opinion from the ministers, analysts and business representatives that this tax incentive should be extended for at least five years to create some certainty in the investment climate," Nauseda said at a news conference after his traditional annual meeting with MPs, government officials, business representatives and analysts.  

"This means that we can take the necessary decisions in the Seimas' upcoming spring session," he said, adding that "this will be an important step toward ensuring continuity and stability of the business environment for our companies." 

It is important that this decision is not linked to the government's planned tax reform which is still under discussion, according to the president.  

Finance Minister Gintare Skaiste told BNS in an interview in January that the corporate tax incentive for businesses investing in new technologies "has its own logic", adding that additional options would be offered to encourage investment. 

Meanwhile, Economy and Innovation Minister Ausrine Armonaite has said recently that all development investments by businesses should be subject to a zero corporate tax rate.

Currently, a five percent corporate tax rate applies to profits generated by businesses investing in R&D, and companies investing in technological renewal can reduce their taxable profits by up to 100 percent.

 

By Erika Alonderytė-Kazlauskė

Editor: Roma Pakėnienė

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Lithuania issued record-high number of residence permits in 2022

VILNIUS, Feb 02, BNS - A record-high number of temporary residence permits were issued in Lithuania last year, mostly to Ukrainians fleeing the war, the latest figures from Lithuania's Migration Department's migration showed on Thursday. 

In 2022, the department issued a total of 133,628 temporary residence permits, including 117,091 issued for the first time and 16,537 extended permits.

"These figures are also the highest in the history of the Migration Department," the department noted. 

In 2021, a total of 51,821 permits were issued to foreigners, including 35,404 permits issued for the first time and 16,417 extended permits.

Last year, the largest number of temporary residence permits were issued or extended for Ukrainian citizens, a total of 8, 940.

According to the Migration Department, the main reason for the number of temporary residence permits issued to Ukrainian citizens in Lithuania in 2022 was the EU's temporary protection mechanism for war refugees.

The second largest group in this statistical category included Belarusian citizens as 30,815 of them were issued temporary residence permits and their existing permits extended last year.

Also, 5,042 documents were issued or extended for Russian citizens last year.

More than 1,000 permits were issued or extended for citizens of Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, India and Georgia. 

The Migration Department also points out in its report that the number of temporary residence permits issued or extended for highly-skilled foreigners working in Lithuania almost trebled last year to 4,145, from 1,428 in 2021.The increase was mainly due to the rise in the number of highly-skilled workers coming from Russia and Belarus.

49,049 permits were issued in those cases when the foreigners planned to work in Lithuania in the professions with a shortage of workers or the Employment Service decided that the foreigners' work met the needs of the national labor market.

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Lithuanian PM, Europe's chief prosecutor talks Russian sanctions

VILNIUS, Feb 02, BNS – Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte met with European Chief Prosecutor Laura Codruta Kevesi in Vilnius on Thursday and discussed cooperation between the Lithuanian and European Prosecutor's Offices, administrative support for the institution's activities, and its possible role in ensuring the implementation of the European Union's sanctions against Russia and Belarus, the prime minister's press service said.

The prime minister stressed that Lithuania sees the value and potential of the establishment of the European Public Prosecutor's Office to ensure independent and effective detection of international financial crimes.

"In principle, we would welcome the possibility of extending the mandate of the European Public Prosecutor's Office so that it could oversee the implementation of the EU sanctions against Russia and Belarus.  The sanctions hurt the aggressor Russia and its supporter Belarus, therefore they are and will be looking for ways to illegally circumvent them. In order to prevent these processes, we need not only national efforts but also cross-border mechanisms at the European level," Simonyte was quoted as saying in the statement.

The European Public Prosecutor's Office launched its operations in June, 2021. It's an independent, decentralized EU agency with competence to investigate the crimes affecting the EU's financial interests.

Kovesi became the first European chief prosecutor in 2019.

Also on Thursday, Kovesi is scheduled to meet with Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda, Justice Minister Ewelina Dobrowolska. On Wednesday, she met with Lithuanian Police Commissioner General Renatas Pozela and the leadership of the Prosecutor General's Office.

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Some candidates for Lithuanian municipal elections registered despite hidden links to KGB

VILNIUS, Feb 02, BNS – Lithuania's Central Electoral Commission (CEC) on Thursday registered candidates for mayors and municipal councilors without receiving information about former collaborators with Soviet secret services.

CEC Chairwoman Jolanta Petkeviciene told the commission's members on Thursday that Lithuania's Genocide and Resistance Research Center (LGGRTC) had admitted that some of the candidates had concealed their former links with the KGB, but it refused to provide their names.

The CEC back on January 4 asked the LGGRTC for information about persons who had in the past collaborated with former Soviet special services and the center replied on January 23 that it could not grant the request and that it would provide the requested information when "you are ready to receive it", according to Petkeviciene.

In its response to a repeated request from the election watchdog, the LGGRTC said that former secret KGB collaborators' confessions are classified and that such information can only be provided to those who have the right to work with classified information.

"The center replied that after checking candidates (...), it had found persons who had secretly and knowingly collaborated with former Soviet special services," the chairwoman said. 

"The letter also says that the information is classified for 75 years and is protected by law," she said. 

According to Petkeviciene, the center did not provide the requested data after a third request either. 

In her words, the law says that information about former secret KGB collaborators "is declassified and made public when a person holds or is a candidate for a position of a member of a municipal council or mayor, and such information is discussed at a public meeting".

In the past, the CEC was able to obtain such data without any obstacles.

"The situation is really strange," said Andrius Vaisnys, a CEC member. "This can be seen as obstructing the work of the CEC, (...) because we cannot take the decision we are obliged to take." 

Inga Milasiute, another CEC member, noted that the LGGRTC does not have the right to decide whether or not to declassify data on candidates.

Gitana Matiekuviene, another member of the commission, said that the watchdog will later have to exclude from the elections persons who failed to confess to their former links with the KGB, as required by the Election Code.

On Thursday, the CEC decided to register 13,797 candidates for municipal councilors, 433 candidates for mayors, and 467 lists of parties and political committees.

Lithuania will elect a total of 1,498 municipal councilors and 60 mayors this year.

The municipal elections are scheduled for March 5. 

 

By Jūratė Skėrytė

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Lithuania's Audimas says its brands used in Russia without authorization

VILNIUS, Feb 02, BNS – Lithuania's leisure and sportswear producer Audimas has no business or assets in Russia, and its brands are used in Moscow stores without authorization, Lina Slegeriene, the company's CEO, said on Thursday.

"Audimas has no assets or business in Russia. We halted exports to Russia in the first days of (Russia's) war (in Ukraine). We stopped production in our factory in Belarus," Slegeriene told a news conference. 

"Stores in Moscow, to our knowledge, are operating and using our trademark without any authorization, which means illegally," she added.

Photos taken by the company's lawyers show that Audimas-branded stores in the Russian capital are selling items from its 2015-2017 collections with old logos, according to the CEO. 

"We hired lawyers to take photos for us. From the photos we have received, we can see that these are old (collections)," she said

In Slegeriene's words, Audimas ceased operations in Russia in 2017, and its products were supplied to stores in Moscow by a single wholesaler until 2022. 

The last time Audimas' products were delivered to Russia was in December 2021, she said.  

 

By Giedrius Gaidamavičius

Editor: Roma Pakėnienė

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Lithuanian president, PM talk EU's Russia sanctions with Europe's chief prosecutor (updates)

VILNIUS, Feb 02, BNS – Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda and Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte met with visiting European Chief Prosecutor Laura Codruta Kevesi in Vilnius on Thursday and discussed the EU sanctions for Russia and the latter's accountability for war crimes in Ukraine.

The president and the prosecutor also discussed the supervision of EU funds and ensuring transparency, according to the presidential press service's press release.

Nauseda and Kovesi discussed the implementation of the existing sanctions for Russia, the need to prevent all ways of circumventing them, as well as the effective investigation of violations of the existing sanctions for Russia and Belarus.

Nauseda stressed the importance of mobilizing the international community to establish a special tribunal to investigate Russia's atrocities in Ukraine.

"The pressure on Russia needs to continue to increase and I very much hope that a tenth sanction package will be adopted soon. However, it is important to minimize the chances of circumventing or avoiding sanctions. Effective implementation of sanctions is crucial. I am, therefore, in favor of reviewing the mandate of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office to enable it to investigate violations of the sanctions imposed on Russia," Nauseda was quoted as saying in the presidential press service's release.

Earlier in the day, Kovesi met with Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte and they discussed cooperation between the Lithuanian and European Prosecutor's Offices, administrative support for the institution's activities, and its possible role in ensuring the implementation of the European Union's sanctions against Russia and Belarus, the prime minister's press service said.

The prime minister stressed that Lithuania sees the value and potential of the establishment of the European Public Prosecutor's Office to ensure independent and effective detection of international financial crimes.

"In principle, we would welcome the possibility of extending the mandate of the European Public Prosecutor's Office so that it could oversee the implementation of the EU sanctions against Russia and Belarus. The sanctions hurt the aggressor Russia and its supporter Belarus, therefore they are and will be looking for ways to illegally circumvent them. In order to prevent these processes, we need not only national efforts but also cross-border mechanisms at the European level," Simonyte was quoted as saying in the statement.

The meeting also discussed national administrative support for the European Public Prosecutor's Office's decentralized activities which are necessary to ensure the conditions for the effective functioning of this institution and the implementation of the responsibilities entrusted to it.

Also on Thursday, the European chief prosecutor visited Lithuania's Special Investigation Service (STT) to discuss the investigations being carried out by the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO), the activities of the EPAC/EACN network, as well a ways to strengthen cooperation between the STT and the EPPO.

The European Public Prosecutor's Office launched its operations in June, 2021. It's an independent, decentralized EU agency with competence to investigate the crimes affecting the EU's financial interests.

Kovesi became the first European chief prosecutor in 2019.

Also on Thursday, Kovesi is scheduled to meet with Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda, Justice Minister Ewelina Dobrowolska. On Wednesday, she met with Lithuanian Police Commissioner General Renatas Pozela and the leadership of the Prosecutor General's Office.

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Baltics, Poland call on IOC to bar Russian, Belarusian athletes from intl competitions

VILNIUS, Feb 02, BNS – The Baltic and Polish sports ministers on Thursday called on international sports federations and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to bar Russian and Belarusian athletes from international competitions.

The Nordic countries will also be invited to join the statement, the Lithuanian Education, Science and Sport Ministry, which initiated it, said in a press release.  

"Sport is not above or beyond politics, so we, sports politicians, must take a firm stance and strive in a very united and purposeful way, together with national and international sports organizations, to ensure that sport does not become a cover for war crimes and a safe haven for those who support or perpetrate them," said Education, Science and Sport Minister Jurgita Siugzdiniene. 

In their joint statement, the Lithuanian, Latvian, Estonian and Polish ministers thanked sports organizations for their solidarity and assistance to Ukraine, while condemning the IOC's efforts to bring Russian and Belarusian athletes back to international competitions.

"At a time when free and democratic countries unite their forces to increase support for Ukraine in its fight against Russia's war of aggression supported by its ally Belarus and impose more sanctions on Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism, the IOC launches the search for special forms of participation for athletes from Russia and Belarus in international sports competitions including the Olympic Games in Paris in 2024, allowing sport to be used to legitimize and distract attention from Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine," they said. 

"Efforts to return Russian and Belarusian athletes to international sports competitions under the veil of neutrality legitimize political decisions and widespread propaganda of these countries also through the use of sport as a distraction from the illegal aggression against Ukraine."  

The ministers thanked "all international sport organizations and federations that have removed athletes and representatives of Russia and Belarus from international competitions and organizations" and called on the rest to do so immediately.

The statement calls on sports organizations not to change their position towards Russian and Belarusian athletes and representatives of these countries until Moscow and Minsk stop their aggression against Ukraine.

The ministers warned that "allowing Russians and Belarusians to return to the international competitions could also put athletes in a difficult position and under extra pressure by competing against Russians and Belarusians or facing them and their supporters at sport events". 

"We will continue supporting Ukrainian athletes, coaches, sports staff, stakeholders and their country and defending our common values and interests of free and democratic states," they said.  

The IOC suggested last week that Russians and Belarusians should be allowed to participate in the 2024 Paris Olympics as "neutral athletes".

"No athlete should be prevented from competing just because of their passport," it said in a statement. 

The Baltic states and Poland say they do not support such a move, and Latvia is even considering boycotting the Olympics if Russian athletes take part.

 

By Milena Andrukaitytė

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., +370 5 239 64 16, Vilnius newsroom

A number to complain, buy 'pot': Lithuanians ingeniously invite donations for Ukraine

VILNIUS, Feb 02, BNS – A phone number to complain against authorities, to get advice or to buy "pot" – these are some of the ingenious ways used by Lithuanian activists and politicians to encourage people to call 1482 to donate five euros to the Let's Radar! fund-raising campaign to buy air surveillance radars for Ukraine. 

"This profile has been hacked, so we can announce what Vilnius' authorities have been hiding from you for a long time: streets that need to be widened can be registered by calling 1482," Vilnius Mayor Remigijus Simasius posted on Facebook on Thursday, 

The mayor has recently come under criticism for his initiative to narrow the capital's streets.

The "news" was immediately shared by Tomas Vytautas Raskevicius, the Freedom Party's candidate for Vilnius mayor in March's elections.  

"Stop the criminal narrowing of streets: CALL 1482", the MP wrote.

Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte closed Wednesday's Cabinet meeting by saying, "And that concludes the agenda. Anyone who has forgotten something, call 1482 and report it there."

Nerijus Vitkauskas, a Freedom Party member campaigning for the legalization of cannabis, tweeted, "If anyone wants pot, call 1482".

Jonas Ohman, founder of Blue/Yellow, a NGO raising funds for Ukraine, shared a post disparaging Let's Radar! and suggested that anyone with complaints about the campaign should call 1482.

"We will listen," he promised.

Turto Bankas, Lithuania’s centralized public property management company, has also joined the campaign, announcing that it can now be reached at 1482, and a car mechanic has posted on social media that the number can be called for advice on "various car electronics issues".

The campaign runs from January 30 to February 24, the anniversary of Russia's full-scale military invasion of Ukraine. 

It was launched by the public broadcaster LRT, along with Blue/Yellow, Laisves TV, 1K Fondas and Stiprus Kartu (Strong Together).

The organizers expect to raise five million euros to buy five radars for Ukraine. 

Three million euros have been raised as of Thursday. 

 

By Austėja Masiokaitė-Liubinienė

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Lithuanian court won’t hear Rosneft's lawsuit due to natl security concerns

VILNIUS, Feb 02, BNS - A Lithuanian court has dismissed a case in which Russian oil group Rosneft sought restitution for real estate transactions of Mogita, a Kaunas-based oil wholesaler undergoing bankruptcy proceedings.

On January 23, the Kaunas Regional Court ruled that the legal assistance provided to the Russian company during the proceedings would harm Lithuania's security and sovereignty. The court pointed out that Rosneft is directly controlled by the Russian government and in the context of the war in Ukraine assistance to Russia would run counter to the European Union and Lithuania's values.

"In the context of Russia's war against Ukraine, any assistance to the state waging the war would also run counter the fundamental principles of EU law Lithuania accepted as part of its EU membership, and, therefore, the applicant cannot be granted legal aid in the case at hand," the court stated.

Rosneft had asked the court to annul the sale and purchase agreements signed in 2019 between Mogita and two natural persons regarding a warehouse in Kaunas and a land plot in Vilnius District as it sought to this way recover a debt of 190,000 euros from Mogita.

However, Mogita's representatives asked the court to drop the case because Rosneft's CEO Igor Sechin is under the existing EU sanctions, and legal assistance to the Russian group could pose a threat to Lithuania's sovereignty and security.

In its lawsuit, Rosneft claimed that the company that sold the real estate owes it 6.9 million roubles under the ruling of the International Commercial Arbitration Court at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation, which has been recognized and is being enforced in Lithuania.

In September, the Lithuanian Court of Appeal ruled that Mogita must pay the Russian company 183,000 in debt and 6,600 in legal costs.

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Upcoming events in Lithuania for Friday, February 3, 2023

VILNIUS, Feb 03, BNS – The following events are scheduled in Lithuania for Friday, February 3, 2023:

PRESIDENT Gitanas Nauseda to meet with Andrew Parsons, president, of the International Paralympic Committee, at 9.30 a.m.

SPEAKER OF THE SEIMAS Viktorija Cmilyte-Nielsen to meet with Andrew Parsons, president, of the International Paralympic Committee, at 11 a.m.

PRIME MINISTER Ingrida Simonyte to take part in a virtual press conference on the Estonian Cabinet's YouTube channel at noon together with her Latvian and Estonian counterparts.

EDUCATION, SCIENCE AND SPORT MINISTER Jurgita Siugzdiniene to visit several Ukrainian schools in Vilnius with Ukrainian Ambassador to Lithuanian Petro Beshta; to meet with to meet with Andrew Parsons, president, of the International Paralympic Committee, at 1.30 p.m.

 

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