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LITHUANIA DAILY NEWS BULLETIN, May 22, 2023

May 23 2023

LITHUANIA DAILY NEWS BULLETIN


IN THIS ISSUE:

  1. Upcoming events in Lithuania for Monday, May 22, 2023
  2. Eight irregular migrants turned away on Lithuania's border with Belarus
  3. Lithuanian PM says she'll quit if parlt refuses to back snap election 
  4. Azerbaijan's president to pay official visit to Lithuania 
  5. Lithuania must decide on cabinet, snap election after NATO summit – Liberals
  6. Lithuanian foreign minister to meet with EU counterparts in Brussels
  7. Lithuania defense minister to meet with Northern Group counterparts 
  8. Lithuania reports 9 new COVID-19 cases, no deaths
  9. NATO air policing jets to train in Lithuania's coastal area
  10. Lithuania's Klaipeda LNG terminal to boost anti-drone protection
  11. NATO jets in Baltics scrambled twice over Russian aircraft last week
  12. Lithuanian formin calls on EU counterparts to speed up Belarus sanction adoption
  13. Lithuanian president hopes to work with Baku to prevent Russia's sanctions circumvention
  14. HU-LCD leader suggests holding early parlt election in September
  15. New batch of 50 JLTVs arrives in Lithuania 
  16. Lithuania's ruling block agrees to remove civil union bill from parlt agenda – elder
  17. Lithuanian PM accepts educmin's resignation
  18. Lithuania's ruling block removes civil union bill from parlt agenda – elder (expands)
  19. Dual citizenship referendum should be postponed in unstable situation – Lithuanian MP
  20. Lithuanian PM says Azerbaijan' has role in securing implementation of Russia sanctions
  21. Sanction exemptions not right way to address food security issues – Lithuanian formin
  22. Upcoming events in Lithuania for Tuesday, May 23, 2023

Upcoming events in Lithuania for Monday, May 22, 2023

VILNIUS, May 2, BNS – The following events are scheduled in Lithuania for Monday, May 22, 2023:

PRESIDENT Gitanas Nauseda to meet with Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev at 9:30 a.m., to be followed by the two leaders' statements to the press at 11:10 a.m.; to attend the opening of Lithuania-Azerbaijan Business Forum at 2 p.m. 

SPEAKER OF THE SEIMAS Viktorija Cmilyte-Nielsen to meet with Slovakia's ambassador Branislav Pavlovic at 2 p.m. 

FOREIGN MINISTER Gabrielius Landsbergis to attend a meeting of the EU's Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels. 

 

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

VILNIUS, May 22, BNS – Lithuanian border guards have in the past 24 hours turned away eight migrants attempting to cross into the country from Belarus illegally, the State Border Guard Service (SBGS) said on Monday morning.

Latvia reported 19 attempts at illegal border crossings on Sunday, and 81 irregular migrants were not allowed into Poland on Saturday, according to the latest available information.

A total of 1,079 irregular migrants have been barred from entering Lithuania from Belarus at non-designated places so far this year. Over 11,200 irregular migrants were turned away in 2022.  

Lithuanian border guards have prevented around 20,400 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. However, the vast majority of them fled Lithuania once they were allowed to move freely.

 

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Lithuanian PM says she'll quit if parlt refuses to back snap election 

VILNIUS, May 22, BNS – Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte has said she will hand in her resignation if the parliament does not support the conservatives' proposal to call an early parliamentary election.

"If the Seimas does not find the will to reset itself, given that it is apparently very difficult to find white, fluffy and righteous people in this story who can judge others, (...) I will simply submit my resignation, which means that the government will step down after the NATO summit," the LRT news website quoted her as telling journalists in Klaipeda on Sunday.

Simonyte said that she would announce in the coming days her decision on Education Minister Jurgita Siugzdiniene, who handed in her resignation last week.

The prime minister also said that the ruling coalition parties had met to discuss the political crisis, adding that a more detailed statement on that would be issued on Monday.

In effort to deal with the emerging political crisis over the non-transparent use of funds by some municipal politicians, the presidium of the conservative Homeland Union-Lithuanian Christian Democrats on Friday proposed to initiate the parliament's resolution to call an early general election. 

If the initiative is not supported, it is proposed to consider the resignation of Prime Minister Simonyte's Cabinet. 

 

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Azerbaijan's president to pay official visit to Lithuania 

VILNIUS, May 22, BNS – Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev is to arrive in Lithuania for an official visit on Monday.  

The Lithuanian and Azerbaijani leaders will discuss bilateral cooperation in the economic, innovation and environmental fields, the security situation in the South Caucasus and the impact of Russia's war in Ukraine on the region, the Gitanas Nauseda's office has said.

Aliyev and Nauseda will also open a Lithuanian-Azerbaijani business forum.

The Lithuanian president paid a visit to Azerbaijan in May 2022.

 

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Lithuania must decide on cabinet, snap election after NATO summit – Liberals

VILNIUS, May 22, BNS – The Lithuanian parliament must put off its decisions on confidence in the Cabinet and an early general election until after July 11 to ensure political stability in the run up to NATO's summit in Vilnius and amid the ongoing war in Ukraine, the board of the Liberal Movement, the conservatives' ruling coalition partner, decided on Saturday.  

The Liberals agree that Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte's Cabinet should submit itself to a vote of confidence in the parliament, but they do not think that a snap election would solve the problem, the party said in a statement.

"We did not agree with the position of the conservatives' presidium and their scenario," Eugenijus Gentvilas, a member of the board, told BNS. "We see it as an attempt to turn individual cases into collective responsibility and lay the blame on the Seimas."  

"We keep saying that we have to be very careful as the NATO summit is approaching and the war in Ukraine is ongoing. Now is probably not the best time to lose the government or to have a caretaker government and start campaigning for an election," he said. 

Viktorija Cmilyte-Nielsen, speaker of the parliament and chairwoman of the Liberal Movement, cautioned against hasty decisions.

"We do not rule out the idea of an early election, but in my opinion, these steps should be discussed after the NATO summit, the most important political event of the year," Cmilyte-Nielsen said in the statement.

"It would be irresponsible to turn this gathering into a hostage of domestic politics or an element of an election campaign," she added. 

In effort to deal with an emerging political crisis over the non-transparent use of funds by some municipal politicians, the presidium of the conservative Homeland Union-Lithuanian Christian Democrats on Friday proposed to initiate an early general election and to consider the Cabinet's resignation if the parliament does not back the initiative. 

Vilnius will host the NATO summit on July 11-12.

 

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Lithuanian foreign minister to meet with EU counterparts in Brussels

VILNIUS, May 22, BNS – Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis is taking part in a meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels on Monday.

The meeting will focus on "Russia's aggression against Ukraine, the Horn of Africa, and the Western Balkans," the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry said in a press release.

"Ministers will also touch on topical foreign policy issues: Central Asia, Tunisia and the latest developments from high-level meetings with the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan," it said.

"EU foreign ministers will discuss the situation in Ukraine, further EU military support for Ukraine, including further supplies of ammunition to Ukraine and the financing of the EU’s training mission, the future process of EU sanctions against Russia, as well as Russia's accountability for war crimes and crimes against humanity, including the crime of aggression," the ministry said.

"Ministers will also exchange views on the situation in the Horn of Africa region, paying particular attention to the ongoing military conflict in Sudan, and discuss possible EU action and increased engagement in the region."

On Monday, the bloc's foreign ministers are also scheduled to hold an informal discussion with their Western Balkan counterparts "on the resilience, security, strengthening economy and energy independence of the region and its societies," according to the press release.

 

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Lithuania defense minister to meet with Northern Group counterparts 

VILNIUS, May 22, BNS – Lithuanian Defense Minister Arvydas Anusauskas is taking part in a meeting of the Northern Group's defense ministers in Warsaw on Monday. 

The ministers will discuss the security situation in the Baltic Sea and North Atlantic regions, Russia's war against Ukraine, and preparations for the upcoming NATO summit in Vilnius, the Lithuanian Defense Ministry has said in a press release.

The Northern Group's meetings bring together top defense officials from Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, the Netherlands, Poland, Sweden and the United Kingdom to discuss common interests.

The Northern Group complements Lithuania's other bilateral and multilateral defense cooperation formats, according to the press release.

 

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Lithuania reports 9 new COVID-19 cases, no deaths

VILNIUS, May 22, BNS – Lithuania has recorded nine new coronavirus infections and no deaths from COVID-19 over the past 24 hours, official statistics showed on Monday morning.

The 14-day primary infection rate has edged down to 33.4 cases per 100,000 people, with the seven-day percentage of positive tests at 9.8 percent.

The number of COVID-19 patients in hospitals now stands at 64, including two ICU cases.

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

Around 1.19 million people in Lithuania have tested positive with COVID-19 at least once.

Some 69.8 percent of people in the country have received at least one coronavirus vaccine jab so far.

 

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NATO air policing jets to train in Lithuania's coastal area

VILNIUS, May 22, BNS – NATO's air policing fighter jets will conduct training flights in Lithuania's coastal area on Monday, the military said.  

The joint training event will involve the Romanian and Portuguese Air Forces' F-16 fighters, which are currently carrying out NATO's Baltic air policing mission, the Lithuanian Armed Forces said in a press release.  

The public may see and hear the fighter aircraft, which will fly at low altitude and release flares over the Baltic Sea, they said. 

 

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Lithuania's Klaipeda LNG terminal to boost anti-drone protection

KLAIPEDA, Lithuania, May 22, BNS – Klaipedos Nafta (Klaipeda Oil, KN), Lithuania's Klaipeda-based state-owned oil and LNG terminal operator, will install additional anti-drone protection to be used at the FSRU Independence due to the ongoing war in Ukraine and the geopolitical turmoil.

The company says the system it's now looking for will be only part of a series of measures to increase the terminal's security.

"We have also assessed the need for additional physical security measures to complement the measures taken by the security authorities, and in this context, we are starting the procurement of technical equipment for anti-drone protection and it will complement the existing infrastructure," KN told BNS. 

The system will have to work by analyzing incoming radio signals and will have to be able to block drones from using certain frequency channels. The protection will have to be activated when a drone appears in the surveillance area. 

The decision to step up security was made in response to the existing geopolitical turmoil caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the company said.

Officers from the Public Security Service and other national security institutions are protecting the LNG terminal since the launch of its operations.

The terminal's operator KN is a company of strategic importance for Lithuania's national security.

By Valdas Pryšmantas

Editor: Roma Pakėnienė

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NATO jets in Baltics scrambled twice over Russian aircraft last week

VILNIUS, May 22, BNS – NATO's fighter jets policing Baltic airspace were last week scrambled twice to intercept Russian aircraft flying in international airspace over the Baltic Sea in violation of flight rules, the Lithuanian Defense Ministry said on Monday.

On Thursday, NATO jets took off to identify two SU-27 fighters flying in international space from Russia's Kaliningrad region and back.

On Friday, NATO jets were scrambled to identify a TU-134UBL flying in international airspace from Kaliningrad to mainland Russia.

The Russian aircraft were flying without flight plans and their onboard transponders were off. They were not in contract with the regional traffic control center.

The NATO Baltic Air Policing mission is carried out from air bases in Lithuania and Estonia.

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Lithuanian formin calls on EU counterparts to speed up Belarus sanction adoption

VILNIUS, May 22, BNS – Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis urged his counterparts during the EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Brussels on Monday to speed up the adoption of sanctions for Belarus, separating the issue from the amendment of the existing sanctions.

"For almost six months, we have not adopted any Belarusian sanction package because together with the sanction package, there's a request made by member states requesting to remove some of the sanctions together, adding some, remove a lot, and I am talking about  Belarusian potash company Belaruskali," Landsbergis told reporters in Brussels.

"I think it is unacceptable to have these two things connected. I will be asking today to separate the two issues and go ahead with the Belarusian sanction package, if we are seriously supporting Belarusian opposition," Lithuania's top diplomat said.

In his words, the block cannot drag on with the introduction of sanctions for Belarus as it's a matter of credibility. 

"The sanction package is worth about 200 million euros, and the derogation package is worth about 8 billion euros, so you can imagine the difference between two issues. The package itself on Belarus is mostly about the circumvention," the minister said.

Last week, G7 leaders agreed on new sanctions for Russia, aimed at preventing the evasion of the existing sanctions, and they include punitive measures for entities shipping materials to the war front, and also measures to limit Russia's access to their economies.

For its part, Brussels proposed an 11th package of sanctions in early May, aimed at reducing potential sanction evasion. With this package, EU member states wants to restrict the re-exports to Russia of sensitive technology that can be used on the battlefield, such as microchips, via third countries.

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Lithuanian president hopes to work with Baku to prevent Russia's sanctions circumvention

VILNIUS, May 22, BNS - Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda has urged Azerbaijan to work together to prevent Russia from circumventing the existing international sanctions.

"In the context of Russia's brutal war against Ukraine, our partnership takes on a new meaning and light," the Lithuanian presidents told reporters on Monday. "We must work together to prevent Russia's circumvention of sanctions and support Ukraine until its victory."

He made the remarks after his meeting with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in Vilnius on Monday.

Nauseda said he sees "even more positive dynamics" in relations between the two countries, adding that last year's energy cooperation agreement signed between the European Union and Baku "has helped the EU to secure its winter energy supplies".

"We need to make use of the cooperation opportunities offered by the Eastern Partnership policy and look for ways to deepen our strategic partnership," the Lithuanian president said.

In his words, during Aliyev's visit, the two countries signed agreements on closer cooperation in the areas of environment, youth affairs and law enforcement.

For his part, Aliyev said he hoped that in the coming years "the economy and trade will be the areas where the biggest progress will be made".

"I am grateful to Lithuania for its support in cooperation with the EU," the Azerbaijani president said.

The two leaders also discussed regional issues and energy.

Nauseda visited Azerbaijan in May 2022.

In early May, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov visited Vilnius, and Nauseda said at the time that Lithuania was interested in expanding cooperation with Azerbaijan in the areas of the economy, education, innovations, IT etc.

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HU-LCD leader suggests holding early parlt election in September

VILNIUS, May 22, BNS – Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis, who leads the ruling conservative Homeland Union-Lithuanian Christian Democrats, has proposed holding an early parliamentary election in September.

In his letter sent on Monday to the leaders of parliamentary parties, the HU-LCD leader invites them to meet on Tuesday in the parliament to discuss the possibility of a snap election.

"In my opinion, we could make a decision on an early election in the Seimas in the next few weeks and hold the election in September," the letter reads.

In the letter, Landsbergis also thanks "the representatives of the Lithuanian Social Democratic Party, the Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Unions and the Democrats "For Lithuania" who have already publicly expressed their support and determination to vote for an early Seimas election".

The early election bill is expected to be registered over the upcoming weeks and a vote on it would be held by the end of the parliamentary session.

"The vote should take place no later than the end of the session," he said.

Last week, the HU-LCD presidium proposed to initiate an early Seimas election to resolve the political crisis caused by the non-transparent use of funds by local government politicians. 

If this initiative is not supported, Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte has already said she will resign.

"The prime minister said so, and I support her," Landsbergis said.

The HU-LCD presidium was convened after Education, Science and Sport Jurgita Siugzdiniene handed in her resignation letter to the prime minister amid public doubts whether she transparently used 13,800 euros in public money when she served as a Kaunas councilor 2019-2020.

By Augustas Stankevičius, Milena Andrukaitytė

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New batch of 50 JLTVs arrives in Lithuania 

VILNIUS, May 22, BNS – A new batch of 50 US-made Joint Light Tactical Vehicles (JLTV) arrived in Lithuania last week. 

The Lithuanian Armed Forces will now have 150 JLTVs in total, the Defense Ministry said in a press release on Monday.

Under a 145-million-euro contract signed in 2019, a total of 200 JLTVs are to be delivered to Lithuania by the end of this year.

Next year, deliveries of JLTVs, manufactured by US Oshkosh Defense, will start under a contract signed in 2022 for the procurement of an additional 300 units.

This will bring the Lithuanian Armed Forces' total fleet of JLTVs to 500 units.

The deal's final value will stand at around 334 million euros, with around five percent coming from US assistance funds.

The JLTV is an advanced all-terrain vehicle with a high level of crew protection, according to the ministry.

 

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Lithuania's ruling block agrees to remove civil union bill from parlt agenda – elder

VILNIUS, May 22, BNS –The elders of the political groups representing the ruling-block parties in the Lithuanian Seimas have agreed to remove the civil union bill from the parliament's Tuesday's agenda.

"We have agreed to remove the bill from tomorrow's agenda, that issue will be discussed at some other time when we agree," Vytautas Mitalas, the elder of the Freedom Party political group, told reporters on Monday after elders' meeting with Speaker of the Seimas Viktorija Cmilyte-Nielsen.

He did no elaborate on the reasons behind the move and could not say when the bill would be put back on the agenda.

"That is what we agreed," the MP said.

The ruling block had earlier agreed to discuss the bill on Tuesday and it was put on the parliament agenda.

The parliamentary Committee on Legal issues had approved the bill in September, but it has not been brought to the plenary chamber for discussion so far as the ruling parties have so far failed to obtain the required number of votes.

The Seimas had also been scheduled to discuss on Tuesday an alternative bill drafted by politicians opposed to same-sex partnerships, and this bill would introduce the concept of "close relationship" in the Civil Code. The Committee on Legal Affairs has, however, proposed to reject this bill.

Members of the ruling block say the civil union bill has been drafted as a compromise after the civil partnership bill was rejected by the Seimas in 2021.

In Lithuania, civil partnerships are currently not legal for either male-female or same-sex couples. Previous attempts in the parliament to legalize them have failed.

By Milena Andrukaitytė

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Lithuanian PM accepts educmin's resignation

VILNIUS, May 22, BNS – Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte on Monday accepted Education, Science and Sport Minister Jurgita Siugzdiniene's resignation and handed it over to President Gitanas Nauseda.

"I regret the fact I was not able to persuade the Minister to continue working until the end of the the XVII government's mandate, but I am well aware of how difficult it is to continue working when a large part of the time has to be devoted to explanations often demanded by those who would not be themselves capable of responding to similar or much more serious questions," the prime minister said in a statement.

The prime minister alo said she would not look for Siugzdiniene's replacement, adding that Justice Minister Ewelina Dobrowolska would step in and be acting education minister.

"I have already informed the president that if the Seimas does not decide on calling a snap election before the end of the session, I will submit my resignation to the president after the NATO summit, which would also mean the resignation of the entire government. Therefore, no candidate for the position of education, science and sport minister will be presented to the president. Therefore, Justice Minister Ewelina Dobrowolska is proposed to temporarily hold the position until the end of the government's mandate," Simonyte said.

The prime minister also reiterated that she had "not the slightest opportunity to question" Siugzdiniene's decency.

"To condemn a politician for not having shown in the past a great deal of care and almost supernatural foresight with regard to the rules, which do not require detailed payments, is perhaps only the right of those who can explain every liter of fuel or every repair themselves," Simonyte said.

Last week, the HU-LCD presidium proposed to initiate an early Seimas election to resolve the political crisis caused by the non-transparent use of funds by local government politicians. 

The HU-LCD presidium was convened after Education, Science and Sport Jurgita Siugzdiniene handed in her resignation letter to the prime minister amid public doubts whether she transparently used 13,800 euros in public money when she served as a Kaunas councilor 2019-2020.

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Lithuania's ruling block removes civil union bill from parlt agenda – elder (expands)

VILNIUS, May 22, BNS – The elders of the political groups representing the ruling-block parties in the Lithuanian Seimas have agreed to remove the civil union bill from the parliament's Tuesday's agenda.

Speaking after the meting, Speaker of the Seimas Viktorija Cmilyte-Nielsen, confirmed that the decision was made due to a lack of votes.

"The agenda has been adjusted to take into account how busy the period is and the number of votes," Cmilyte-Nielsen told reporters on Monday.

The Seimas leader regretted the fact that the lack of votes in favor of the legalization of civil unions "is more chronic" and teetering on the brink.

"It is a more chronic shortage of votes, as sad as it is to say, but we have never had majority support for partnerships or civil unions, and the issue has always teetered on the 50-50 line," she said.

Asked whether the civil union bill could still be tabled during the ongoing spring session, the parliamentary leader said "it might come back".

The ruling block had earlier agreed to discuss the bill on Tuesday and it was put on the parliament agenda.

The parliamentary Committee on Legal issues had approved the bill in September, but it has not been brought to the plenary chamber for discussion so far as the ruling parties have so far failed to obtain the required number of votes.

The Seimas had also been scheduled to discuss on Tuesday an alternative bill drafted by politicians opposed to same-sex partnerships, and this bill would introduce the concept of "close relationship" in the Civil Code. The Committee on Legal Affairs has, however, proposed to reject this bill.

Members of the ruling block say the civil union bill has been drafted as a compromise after the civil partnership bill was rejected by the Seimas in 2021.

In Lithuania, civil partnerships are currently not legal for either male-female or same-sex couples. Previous attempts in the parliament to legalize them have failed.

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Dual citizenship referendum should be postponed in unstable situation – Lithuanian MP

VILNIUS, May 22, BNS - The decision on holding a multiple citizenship referendum in Lithuania should be postponed due to the unstable existing political situation in the country, says MP Dalia Asanaviciute who leads the referendum working group.

"I suggest a pause until the situation stabilizes and it becomes clear whether we are going to have a snap election or whether the government will resign, or whether the situation will remain as it is now and we will be able to go back to the final approval in the Seimas," the lawmaker told BNS on Monday.

The Seimas had planned to approve the date for the referendum on Tuesday but the draft resolution was removed from the agenda on Monday.

Asanaviciute says this doesn't mean there will be no referendum, but more clarity is needed for its organization as the existing working group for the referendum is mad made of Seimas members, representatives of the Office of the Government, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Central Electoral Commission.

"We want to wait to be sure we have the will to carry out the referendum and to do it properly, and only then we can expect success and then we can come back to the issue. According to the law, we still have time to do that," the MP said, pointing out that inadequate preparation led to the failure of the 2019 citizenship referendum.

"In 2019, the funding was allocated just over a month before the referendum and communication only started at that time. If the same thing happens again, if the plan of our working group, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the CEC is not followed, if there's no proper supervision, we will have the same result as in 2019," Asanaviciute said.

The plan is to hold a mandatory referendum on the legalization of multiple citizenship on 12, 2024. One final vote is needed in the Seimas to hold the referendum together with the first round of the presidential election.

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Lithuanian PM says Azerbaijan' has role in securing implementation of Russia sanctions

VILNIUS, May 22, BNS – Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte met with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in Vilnius on Monday and said she sees Azerbaijan's important role in ensuring effective implementation of sanctions for Russia.

"The consequences of Russia's war against Ukraine, as well as the threat they pose, are global. Achieving peace requires not only comprehensive support for Ukraine but also effective implementation of sanctions, leaving as few loopholes as possible to circumvent sanctions as the aggressor country is actively seeking to do so. Azerbaijan's role in this area is also very important," the prime minister was quoted as saying in a statement released by her press service.

The prime minister and the Azerbaijani president also discussed Russia's war against Ukraine, the security situation in the South Caucasus, bilateral cooperation between Lithuania and Azerbaijan, and the prospect of peace talks between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

Russia is not interested in resolving conflicts in any region, the Lithuanian prime minister said, but it's rather interested in escalation and destabilization in order to gain leverage and benefits.

When discussing the security situation in the South Caucasus, Simonyte underlined that Lithuania supports a peaceful, sustainable and comprehensive settlement of the Azerbaijan-Armenia conflict by means of diplomatic means, as well as supports the EU's efforts to contribute to ensuring security and stability in the region.

Armenia and neighboring Azerbaijan have been at loggerheads over territory for decades.

Ethnic Armenian separatists in Nagorno-Karabakh split off from Azerbaijan after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Around 30,000 lives have been lost so far during this simmering conflict that included two wars in the 1990s and 2020.

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Sanction exemptions not right way to address food security issues – Lithuanian formin

VILNIUS, May 22, BNS – Softening sanctions for Belarus or any exemptions from them would not be the right way to address food security issues, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis says.

"Sanction exemptions and the softening of sanctions is not the right way to address food security issues. We must not succumb to false narratives that world food shortages are caused by sanctions against fertilizer companies. This is not true," Landsbergis said in a statement issued by the Foreign Ministry on Monday after his meeting in Brussels with European Commissioner for International Partnership Jutta Urpilainen, held to discuss sanctions for Belarus.

Also on Monday, the foreign minister also met with EC Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis to discuss Ukrainian grain exports.

"The European Union must continue to do its utmost to open up even more supply routes for Ukrainian grain," Lithuania's top diplomat said.

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Upcoming events in Lithuania for Tuesday, May 23, 2023

VILNIUS, May 23, BNS – The following events are scheduled in Lithuania for Tuesday, May 23, 2023:

PRESIDENT Gitanas Nauseda to attend a church service for late former First Lady Alma Adamkiene at 12.30 p.m.; to attend Adamkiene's funeral in Kaunas at 4 p.m.

NATIONAL DEFENSE MINISTER Arvydas Anusauskas to meet with the chief of defense at 8.30 a.m.; to attend a meting at the Presidential Palace at 1 p.m.

CULTURE MINISTER Simonas Kairys to pay a working visit to Krakow to meet with the Polish and Ukrainian culture ministers.

HEALTH MINISTER Arunas Dulkys to attend the 76th World Health Assembly in Geneva 

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