LITHUANIA DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
IN THIS ISSUE:
- Upcoming events in Lithuania for Friday, November 10, 2023
- Lithuanian formin to meet with his Czech counterpart Jan Lipavsky
- Forty-one irregular migrants turned away on Lithuania's border with Belarus
- Lithuanian presidential office to host fifth Forum of Regions
- Lithuania’s formin, Council of Europe SecGen confirm mutual commitment to support Ukraine
- Seimas of Lithuania hosting conference on violence against women and children
- Sending correspondence will be about 20 pct more expensive from January – LP
- Half a ton of drugs worth EUR 70 mln seized in international operation in Vilnius
- Lithuanian formin hopes Latvia's LGBTQI decision will impact Seimas
- Lithuania, China in talks to normalize diplomatic relations – minister
- Czech minister on Ukraine: the larger the EU is, the stronger we are
- Lithuania applies to host headquarters of EU’s Anti-Money-Laundering Authority in Vilnius
- Lithuania applies to host headquarters of EU’s Anti-Money-Laundering Authority in Vilnius (expands)
- Medics, border guards hand over Russian citizen, treated in Vilnius, to Belarus
- Vilnius-Riga train service should be launched on Dec 27
- Lithuania hands over anti-drones, generators to Ukraine
- Lithuania's DefMin suggests easing conditions for defense, security industry
- Lithuania urges to step up prevention, response at NATO cyber defense event
- British fighter jets involved in intl exercise in Lithuania
- Avia Solutions Group loses case against govt over expansion at Vilnius Airport
- Lithuania hands over NASAMS missile launchers, equipment to Ukraine
- Person suspected of incitement to terrorism detained in Lithuania
Upcoming events in Lithuania for Friday, November 10, 2023
VILNIUS, Nov 10, BNS – The following events are scheduled in Lithuania for Friday, November 10, 2023:
PRESIDENT Gitanas Nauseda to open the annual Regions' Forum at 9.30 a.m.; to attend the forum's second part at 1 p.m.
SPEAKER OF THE SEIMAS Viktorija Cmilyte-Nielsen to attend an international conference on violence again women and international child abduction at 10 a.m.; to meet with Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky at 1 p.m.
JUSTICE MINISTER Ewelina Dobrowolska to meet with Marija Pejcinovic Buric, secretary general of the Council of Europe, at 11 a.m.; to attend a working lunch at the Dutch Embassy in Lithuania at 12.30 p.m.
FOREIGN MINISTER Gabrielius Landsbergis to meet Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky and hold a press conference after the meeting at 11 a.m.; to attend the Future of Democracy Forum.
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Lithuanian formin to meet with his Czech counterpart Jan Lipavsky
VILNIUS, Nov 10, BNS – Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis will meet with his Czech counterpart, Jan Lipavsky, in Vilnius on Friday.
The Lithuanian and Czech foreign ministers will discuss bilateral and regional cooperation, ensuring of comprehensive support to Ukraine, regional security, the EU and NATO agenda, democracy support, the situation in the Middle East, and other issues of international importance, the Foreign Ministry said in a press release.
The Czech foreign minister will attend the Future of Democracy Forum, taking place in Vilnius on November 9-10, at Landsbergis’ invitation.
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Forty-one irregular migrants turned away on Lithuania's border with Belarus
VILNIUS, Nov 10, BNS – Lithuanian border guards have in the past 24 hours turned away 41 migrants attempting to cross into the country from Belarus illegally, the State Border Guard Service (SBGS) said on Friday morning.
Latvia reported 13 attempts at illegal border crossings on Thursday, and 56 irregular migrants were not allowed into Poland on Wednesday, according to the latest available information.
A total of 2,252 irregular migrants have been barred from entering Lithuania from Belarus at non-designated places so far this year.
Lithuanian border guards have prevented a total of some 21,600 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 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.
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Lithuanian presidential office to host fifth Forum of Regions
VILNIUS, Nov 10, BNS – The Lithuanian presidential office is on Friday hosting the annual Forum of Regions, initiated by President Gitanas Nauseda, which provides a platform for discussions on key regional policy and local government development issues.
The Forum, which will be held for the fifth time, is traditionally organized in cooperation with the Interior Ministry and the Association of Local Authorities in Lithuania (ALAL), the presidential office said in a press release.
The first part of the event will present the course of implementation of Regional Development Programs and discuss reforms in education and healthcare.
President Gitanas Nauseda, ALAL President Mindaugas Sinkevicius and Interior Minister Agne Bilotaite will deliver welcoming remarks.
Presentations will be made by Minister of Education, Science and Sport Gintautas Jakstas, Deputy Interior Minister Arnoldas Abramavicius, and Deputy Health Minister Danguole Jankauskiene. Representatives of ministries, mayors of municipalities and experts will participate in the discussion.
The second part of the Forum will be devoted to a discussion on the state of the country's roads and the improvement of transport infrastructure.
The Lithuanian president will give a welcoming speech, and presentations will be made by Sinkevicius, economist Marius Dubnikovas and Presidential Adviser Nerijus Kaucikas.
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Lithuania’s formin, Council of Europe SecGen confirm mutual commitment to support Ukraine
VILNIUS, Nov 10, BNS – Lithuania’s Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis and Secretary General of the Council of Europe Marija Pejčinović Burić have confirmed their mutual commitment to support Ukraine at their meeting in Vilnius.
Landsbergis met with the secretary general of the Council of Europe on Thursday, the Foreign Ministry said in a press release.
Pejčinović Burić came to Vilnius to attend the high-level Future of Democracy Forum at the minister’s invitation.
The meeting focused on the issues of cooperation between the Council of Europe and Lithuania in light of the changing geopolitical environment and the upcoming Lithuanian Chairmanship of the Council’s Committee of Ministers in May-November 2024.
Both interlocutors identified support for Ukraine in the face of brutal aggression as an essential purpose of activity.
“Strong support for Ukraine will be the highest priority of the Lithuanian Chairmanship. The Chairmanship will further strengthen Vilnius's role as a global hub for holding meetings and exchanging ideas between forces of freedom and democracy and contribute to disseminating the values defended and represented by the Council of Europe,” Lithuania’s foreign minister said.
In May 2024, Lithuania will take over the Chairmanship of the Council’s Committee of Ministers from Liechtenstein.
The priorities of the Lithuanian Chairmanship will ensure the continuity of the activities of the Council of Europe – the implementation of the decisions taken at the Reykjavik Summit will continue.
According to the ministry, comprehensive support for Ukraine will be Lithuania’s top priority. It will include the implementation of the Council’s Action Plan for Ukraine, the strengthening of democratic institutions, the proper functioning of the Register of Damage for Ukraine, and the return of kidnapped and deported Ukrainian children.
The Lithuanian Chairmanship will also focus on promoting democracy in the region and will continue to support the Belarusian and Russian democratic opposition and independent media.
Lithuania will also seek to reinforce the Council of Europe so that only the citizens of the CoE member states remain in its secretariat. Other priority items are gender equality, the fight against corruption and disinformation.
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Seimas of Lithuania hosting conference on violence against women and children
VILNIUS, Nov 10, BNS – The Seimas of Lithuania is on Friday hosting an international conference on "International child custody battles and violence against women: what works, what doesn't, and what needs to be changed?", which will be attended by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, Reem Alsalem.
The conference will also be attended by Viktorija Cmilytė-Nielsen, Speaker of the Seimas, and Monika Navickiene, Minister of Social Security and Labor.
During the conference, Reem Alsalem, a United Nations expert, will give a detailed presentation of her report entitled “Custody, violence against women and violence against children” and published in June.
According to the organizers, the Lithuanian judiciary, the State Child Rights Protection and Adoption Service, and women's rights organizations will have the opportunity to discuss the relevance of the issues for Lithuania and possible legal, institutional and political solutions.
The conference will also bring together women who have been victims of domestic violence and have faced gaps in international child custody law.
In her report on custody, violence against women and violence against children, Alsalem, along with the other members of the Platform of Independent Expert Mechanisms on the Elimination of Discrimination and Violence against Women, has voiced concern about the pattern of ignoring intimate partner violence against women in determining child custody cases across jurisdictions, with the tendency to dismiss the history of domestic violence and abuse in custody cases extending to cases where mothers and/or children themselves have brought forward credible allegations of physical or sexual abuse.
The report also raises the issue of adequacy of international law for combating violence against women and girls.
In addition, the report points out that the Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction does not mention domestic violence, neither does it include protections for abused mothers. As a result, when mothers flee with their children across international borders, they become vulnerable to being treated as an “abducting” parent by the courts.
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Sending correspondence will be about 20 pct more expensive from January – LP
VILNIUS, Nov 10, BNS - Sending correspondence in Lithuanian will become 20 percent more expensive in Lithuania from January after the country Communications Regulatory Authority (RRT) allowed increasing the tariffs of the universal postal service and change the pricing of correspondence.
"On average, sending correspondence in Lithuania is expected to become about 20 percent more expensive. Sending a postcard now costs 1.3 euros, but it should cost 1.55 euros from January," Deimante Zebrauskaite, head of the Communications Department at the Lithuanian Post, told the public radio LRT on Friday. "The cost of services is rising due to the increase in pay, fuel costs and energy."
In her words, the prices for sending correspondence outside Lithuania will be published on December 1. These tariffs will also enter into force early next year.
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Half a ton of drugs worth EUR 70 mln seized in international operation in Vilnius
VILNIUS, Nov 10, BNS – Officers of the Lithuanian Customs Criminal Service (CCS) intercepted a consignment containing half a ton of drugs during an international operation in Vilnius.
The value of such a consignment of drugs on the black market exceeds 70 million euros. In the opinion of customs officials, this quantity of drugs was clearly not destined for the Lithuanian market and the drugs would most likely have moved to another country.
As reported by the CCS on Friday, a consignment of nearly 500 kilograms of mephedrone from abroad was intercepted at the premises of a company in Vilnius on October 20.
In addition to the Lithuanian Customs, officers from the Estonian Tax and Customs Board and the Latvian Tax and Customs Police Department took part in this international drug interception operation.
A pre-trial investigation has been opened at the CCS for smuggling a very large quantity of drugs. The director of the company was questioned as a special witness.
The investigation was launched in cooperation between Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian officials after 26 barrels containing a crystalline synthetic narcotic substance were flown from Cyprus to Estonia.
The shipment was to be transported via Latvia to Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, to the address of a logistics company.
However, law enforcement officials inspected the shipment in Estonia and found 482 kilograms of mephedrone (a synthetic stimulant drug similar in effect to cocaine, amphetamine or cathinone).
On October 20, the cargo was delivered to the premises of a logistics company in Vilnius at a specified address, under the control of Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian customs officials working in close cooperation. The consignment was intercepted there and Lithuanian officials searched the company.
The pre-trial investigation opened by the CCS for smuggling a very large quantity of drugs is led by prosecutors from the Organized Crime and Corruption Investigation Division of the Vilnius Regional Prosecutor's Office. Such an offence is punishable by imprisonment from ten to eighteen years.
A pre-trial investigation into drug smuggling has also been opened in Estonia.
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Lithuanian formin hopes Latvia's LGBTQI decision will impact Seimas
VILNIUS, Nov 10, BNS – Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis hopes Latvia's recent decision to legalize same-sex partnerships will have an impact on the Lithuanian parliament as the latter is set to hold the final vote on the matter.
"I do want to believe that this will allow, or at least raise additional questions for colleagues in the Seimas, to reflect on the fact that this is a human rights issue," the leader of the ruling conservative Homeland Union – Lithuanian Christian Democrats told reporters on Friday.
"Lithuania is a human rights state, and the restoration of its own state is based on the rule of law and human rights principles. Therefore, those principles must be applied equally to everyone, regardless of sexual orientation or other aspects," he said.
He made the remarks after the Latvian parliament adopted on Thursday a package of laws on the establishment of partnerships. The changes will apply to same-sex couples as well and they will be able to legalize and register their relationship. Partnerships will be registered in Latvia from mid-2024.
Earlier this year, the Estonian parliament passed a law that will allow two adults to marry from January, regardless of their gender.
"Obviously, we are the only Baltic country left, with Estonia and Latvia moving into the Nordic bloc, leaving Lithuania on the other side," Landsbergis said.
In Lithuania, both male-female or same-sex partnerships are not legal. Previous votes in the Seimas on the issue failed.
In May, the Seimas approved by a margin of several votes a civil union bill that would legalize same-sex partnerships. Lawmakers still need to vote the final time on this bill.
Landsbergis says he will "certainly find" an opportunity to refer to the Latvian decision when speaking to his colleagues.
"I want to believe, I have hope, that maybe the next parliament will come even closer to this issue and we will end up at least among the Nordic countries on the human rights issue," he said.
Asked whether his statement meant he doubted that the decision would be made by the existing parliament, Landsbergis said that "the political parties that have it in their program should be asked about this".
The partnership issue is being actively pushed by the Freedom Party, part of the ruling block in Lithuania. Its representatives vow to put the issue to the final vote later this parliament session.
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Lithuania, China in talks to normalize diplomatic relations – minister
VILNIUS, Nov 10, BNS - Lithuanian and Chinese officials are talking about the possible normalization of diplomatic relations, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis says.
"I would not like to speak about the scope right now, but talks are definitely taking place. And even right now," Lithuania's top diplomat told reporters on Friday when asked about the possible return of ambassadors to both countries.
China downgraded its diplomatic representation with Lithuania in 2021 and imposed trade restrictions after Lithuania allowed Taiwan to open a representative office in the name of the island in Vilnius. Beijing viewed this as Lithuania's support for Taiwan to act as an independent state.
China seeks to isolate Taipei on the world stage and avoids using the word 'Taiwan' in any way not to give the island international legitimacy.
Taiwan's Foreign Minister Joseph Wu is in Lithuania right now and n Thursday he met with Speaker of the Lithuanian Seimas Viktorija Cmilyte-Nielsen, who has recently visited Taiwan, as well as some lawmakers, but he did not meet with representatives of the executive branch.
Lithuania's leader and Landsbergis made this decision in line with the "One China" principle and avoided any reference to recognition of Taiwan.
By Augustas Stankevičius
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Czech minister on Ukraine: the larger the EU is, the stronger we are
VILNIUS, Nov 10, BNS –Prague supports Ukraine's bid to become a member of the European Union, Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky sad in Vilnius on Friday.
He also welcomed the European Commission's recommendation to open negotiations on Kyiv's EU membership.
"The larger the EU is, the stronger we are," Lipavsky told reporters on Friday after meeting Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis, adding, however, that Ukraine still has "homework" to do.
The Czech minister was speaking after the European Commission recommended that member states open formal negotiations on Ukraine and Moldova's EU membership and grant candidate status to Georgia. However, the final and unanimous decision on this is still to be made by the head of EU member states.
The European Commission lauded Ukraine, which Russian troops invaded last year, saying that the government "has shown a remarkable level of institutional strength, determination and ability to function". But it said talks should start only after it has addressed corruption, lobbying concerns and a law on national minorities.
For his part, Landsbergis says while there are EU countries that have doubts about Ukraine's membership, the EC "has a variety of levers" to persuade these members.
EU leaders are expected to decide whether to accept the EC's recommendations at a summit in Brussels on December 14-15.
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Lithuania applies to host headquarters of EU’s Anti-Money-Laundering Authority in Vilnius
VILNIUS, Nov 10, BNS – Lithuania has applied to host the headquarters of the Anti-Money-Laundering Authority (AMLA) – the European Union's (EU) authority to counter money laundering and the financing of terrorism – in Vilnius, the Finance Ministry has announced.
Lithuania’s official application, signed by Finance Minister Gintare Skaiste, was submitted to the European Commission on Friday, the ministry said in a press release.
"Today, we have officially submitted Vilnius' application to the European Commission for the hosting of AMLA," the press release quoted Skaiste as saying.
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Lithuania applies to host headquarters of EU’s Anti-Money-Laundering Authority in Vilnius (expands)
VILNIUS, Nov 10, BNS – Lithuania has applied to host the headquarters of the Anti-Money-Laundering Authority (AMLA) – the European Union's (EU) authority to counter money laundering and the financing of terrorism – in Vilnius, the Finance Ministry has announced.
Lithuania’s official application, signed by Finance Minister Gintare Skaiste, was submitted to the European Commission on Friday, the ministry said in a press release.
"Today, we have officially submitted Vilnius' application to the European Commission for the hosting of AMLA," the press release quoted Skaiste as saying.
The government approved the application on October 11, and Friday is the last day for its submission.
The countries' applications will be assessed by the European Commission, in parallel with discussions between the European Parliament and the EU Council on the final decision-making model.
The country that will host AMLA headquarters is expected to be announced in the coming months, and the new institution should start work in the first half of next year.
Skaiste believes that Vilnius is the best place for such an agency, as there are a lot of financial sector risk experts in Lithuania and it is also a convenient location.
According to the minister, Lithuania is also ready to offer premises that meet the highest quality standards and to take care of the social protection and integration of AMLA employees and their family members.
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Medics, border guards hand over Russian citizen, treated in Vilnius, to Belarus
VILNIUS, Nov 10, BNS – Medics and border guards on Friday handed over to Belarus a Russian citizen who was brought to the Lithuanian capital's medics in mid-October after developing health problems on a flight from Turkey to Moscow.
According to Giedrius Misutis, spokesman for the State Border Guard Service (SBGS), the Russian woman who was in a serious condition was treated at the Republican Vilnius University Hospital, from where she was transported by ambulance on Friday morning to the Medininkai border checkpoint, where she was handed over to Belarusian medics and officials at around 9 a.m.
"She was handed over to the Belarusian ambulance service in a serious condition and was accompanied by her daughter, who contributed to the technical aspects of the woman's transfer," Misutis said.
According to him, the woman, born in 1973, was treated in Lithuania on humanitarian grounds. When handing her over to Belarus, the SBGS took a formal decision to return the Russian citizen and order her to leave Lithuania.
On October 18, a plane flying from Antalya to Moscow was forced to land at Vilnius airport due to the health problems developed by the said passenger and hand the woman over to a medical team. The aircraft then continued its journey.
Aircraft registered in Russia or owned by Russian nationals are not allowed to use the airspace of European Union countries due to the European Union sanctions, but this ban does not apply to emergency landings in the event of a risk to the health or life of passengers.
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Vilnius-Riga train service should be launched on Dec 27
VILNIUS, Nov 10, BNS – The first train from Vilnius to Riga should depart on December 27, LTG Link, the passenger arm of Lithuania's state-owned railway company Lietuvos Gelezinkeliai (Lithuanian Railways, LTG), has said.
However, the date of the first trip may still be subject to adjustments.
"We hope that in the future it (the route - BNS) will be supplemented with a link to Tallinn, and that the construction of the Rail Baltica railway line will make traveling to our neighbors even faster and more comfortable," Loreta Maskalioviene, deputy minister of transport and communications, said in a press release.
The train service will run between Vilnius and Riga via Kaisiadorys, Siauliai, Joniskis and Jelgava, competing with cars.
According to Gediminas Seckus, LTG Link's interim CEO, people will be able to travel on this route without changing trains, and the train will be adapted to the individual needs of people.
The company is currently carrying out preparatory work for the new route and has already signed an agreement with the Latvian infrastructure manager for the use of the country's railways.
Also, LTG Link has applied to the Latvian and European authorities for the necessary permits for international routes to operate on Latvia’s territory, and is working on other issues related to the organization of the new route in order to comply with Latvia’s requirements as well as on the development of a service package.
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Lithuania hands over anti-drones, generators to Ukraine
VILNIUS, Nov 10, BNS – Lithuania has handed over anti-drones and generators to Ukraine, the Defense Ministry said on Friday.
"Lithuania is sending to Ukraine the technologies that help on the modern battlefield. It is important to understand that today's war requires modern technologies such as anti-drones or other modern equipment. And the generators are being transferred with a view to the inexorably approaching winter, which is likely to be a difficult one," a press release from the ministry quoted Defense Minister Arvydas Anusauskas as saying.
General Valery Zaluzhny, Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine's Armed Forces, has said that his country, which is fighting the Russian invasion, is now in dire need of advanced drone technology, electronic warfare capabilities and equipment to defuse mines.
According to the Defense Ministry, Lithuania's military aid handed over to Ukraine this year includes Mi-8 helicopters, L-70 anti-aircraft guns with ammunition, M113 armored personnel carriers, millions of rounds of ammunition, ammunition for grenade-launchers, radar kits and a wide range of other assistance.
In addition, Lithuania is also training Ukrainian soldiers, providing medical treatment and rehabilitation, and expert advice, and contributing to international funds for assistance to the country which is fighting back against Russia's military aggression.
Lithuania has also prepared a military aid package for Ukraine, worth 200 million euros, for the 2024-2026 period.
As estimated by the Defense Ministry, Lithuania's total support to Ukraine amounts to more than 1 billion euros, or more than 1.2 percent of its GDP, with military aid making up a half of the amount.
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Lithuania's DefMin suggests easing conditions for defense, security industry
VILNIUS, Nov 10, BNS – Lithuania's Defense Ministry has drafted amendments that would help attract investments in the defense and security industry and promote the development of this industry in Lithuania.
"In order to encourage the natural market economy-based growth of the defense and security industry, we need to establish the most favorable possible legal framework for its development," the ministry said in a draft government resolution.
Right now, the development of new high tech related to the production of defense and dual-use products and their attraction or development in Lithuania is hampered by untapped public procurement opportunities and insufficient funding, the ministry underlined.
"Under existing funding instruments, defense technology development usually ends up in prototyping and enters the "valley of death" in the innovation cycle," the ministry said. "Due to public procurement requirements, the Lithuanian army cannot directly, without a tender, acquire technologies developed by Lithuanian scientists in accordance with the army's needs and use them to strengthen both national capabilities when this is necessary to ensure the essential interests of national security, and to create more favorable conditions for their expansion into foreign markets," the Defense Ministry states.
The amendments also aim to improve weapons and ammunition as right now, according to the drafters, is currently more suited to civilian production than to weapons used by the armed forces, which is why initiatives to start production in Lithuania fail.
If approved by the government, amendments will be submitted to the parliament.
By Valdas Pryšmantas
Editor: Roma Pakėnienė
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Lithuania urges to step up prevention, response at NATO cyber defense event
VILNIUS, Nov 10, BNS – Lithuania's Defense Vice Minister Greta Monika Tuckute has urged NATO to strengthen prevention and response measures at the NATO Cyber Defense Conference in Berlin.
Tuckute was part of a panel of speakers, together with representatives from the US, Germany, Poland and Spain, and spoke about the cyber lessons of Russia's war in Ukraine.
"The key lessons are prevention, capacity building and closer cooperation with allies, partners and the private sector. Especially with Ukraine as it invested in its cyber resilience even before the war started and this helped to reduce the damage. We hope that NATO will take the lessons from Ukraine into account and play a stronger role in strengthening both cyber response and defense tools and preventive measures," the Lithuanian vice minister said.
NATO could make more effective use of the new Virtual Cyber Incident Support Capability (VCISC), endorsed by the NATO summit in Vilnius, to support allies and partners in terms of both pre-crisis and incident management, Tuckute said.
In her words, the Lithuanian-led EU Cyber Rapid Response Force (CRRF), which has been in operation for five years, can serve as a model for such a NATO force as the CRRF assists EU member states, partners and EU military operations.
Those sharing their insights at the high-level conference included NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, the foreign ministers of Germany, the Netherlands, Finland, Latvia and Albania, the heads of NATO cyber security institutions, representatives of public sector companies, including Palo Alto, Microsoft, Mandiant, ESET, academics and other representatives of NATO countries.
NATO announced its initiative to organize the first annual NATO Cyber Defense Conference during the summit in Vilnius in July.
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British fighter jets involved in intl exercise in Lithuania
VILNIUS, Nov 10, BNS - British fighter jets have taken part in an international exercise in Lithuania's Kazlu Ruda, simulating the destruction of targets, the Lithuanian army said on Friday.
Fifth-generation F-35 and Eurofighter Typhoon fighters took off from the British aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth in the North Sea during the international exercise Neptune Strike.
According to the army, the main objective of this exercise, which started on October 30, is to train using fighter jets to support the air, sea and land forces of any NATO country from an existing deployment.
20 NATO countries from Europe and one partner country land and carry out operations during Neptune Strike.
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Avia Solutions Group loses case against govt over expansion at Vilnius Airport
VILNIUS, Nov 10, BNS – A court has finally rejected a complaint by Avia Solutions Group, an aviation business group owned by businessman Gediminas Ziemelis, against the decisions of the Lithuanian government and the government's commission vetting deals important to national security to block its expansion at Vilnius Airport.
Last Wednesday, the Supreme Administrative Court of Lithuania (SACL) rejected the appeal of the group's subsidiary VA Reals and upheld the February 2022 decision of the Vilnius Regional Administrative Court.
The panel of judges of the SACL also rejected the company's request for a preliminary ruling from the Constitutional Court and the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU).
The dispute was heard in private before the courts, but the impersonal ruling of the Supreme Administrative Court has been made public.
VA Reals asked the courts to annul the government's decision of March 17, 2021, and the government commission's decision of February 25, 2021, declaring that the company does not fit with the interests of national security.
In VA Reals’ view, the commission's decision and the government's decision are unlawful, do not comply with the principle of proportionality, and are unreasonable and illogical, according to the SACL ruling.
The company told the courts that it intended to reconstruct a hangar at Vilnius Airport, but in February 2021, the government’s commission found the company to be a risk to national security and denied the project.
The 15min.lt news website wrote back in 2021 that the investment planned by Avia Solutions Group in Vilnius Airport might have been blocked not only because of the group's ties to Russian oligarch Sergey Chemezov, the head of Rostec, in a Moscow airport construction project, but also due to possible links to the Russian company Aeroflot and a pharmaceutical plant in Belarus.
The government’s commission screens investments in Vilnius Airport because airports are included in the list of Category 1 companies of national security importance.
In recent years, Lithuanian national security authorities have been wary of Avia Solutions Group's investments due to its previous activities at Moscow Zhukovsky Airport and its aviation business in Russia.
The group says it has severed all links with the Zhukovsky Airport project as early as in 2018, calling the blocking of its activities a "witch hunt" and urging the intelligence services to disclose all available information.
Avia Solutions Group said that its investment in the reconstruction of the FL Technics hangar would have amounted to 7 million euros and would have created 200 new jobs.
By Roma Pakėnienė
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Lithuania hands over NASAMS missile launchers, equipment to Ukraine
VILNIUS, Nov 10, BNS - Lithuania has handed over launchers and necessary equipment for the NASAMS medium-range air defense systems to Ukraine, Lithuania's Defense Ministry said on Friday.
"The NASAMS missile launchers purchased by Lithuania will be integrated into the Ukrainian Armed Forces' fire control units, thus complementing and expanding the operational capability of the NASAMS systems donated by Norway and the US. Our support remains an important factor in Ukraine's defense. We hear Ukraine's needs and we urge our allies to hear them as well," Defense Minister Arvydas Anusauskas was quoted as saying in the statement.
Lithuania's Defense Materiel Agency signed a contract with Norway's Kongsberg for the purchase of NASAMS launchers handed over to Ukraine in June. It was stated at the time that Lithuania was buying NASAMS air defense launchers for Ukraine for 9.8 million euros.
Before the launchers were handed over to Ukrainian troops, they underwent comprehensive driving and repair training in Norway, the ministry added.
Together with the NASAMS launchers, Lithuania has also provided all-terrain vehicles needed for NASAMS crews. The Norwegian Ministry of Defense contributed to this Lithuanian support by giving Ukraine additional support equipment necessary and Fire Distribution Centers for NASAMS launchers.
The support was taken to Ukraine by the Lithuanian army.
According to the Defense Ministry, the total value of Lithuania's military assistance to Ukraine stands around 500 million euros. The next planned Lithuanian military assistance includes grenade launcher ammunition, logistic vehicles and various types of equipment for the winter season.
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Person suspected of incitement to terrorism detained in Lithuania
VILNIUS, Nov 10, BNS - A person suspected of incitement to terrorist crimes has been detained in Lithuania during an international operation, the country's police said on Friday.
A total of five member of an ultra-right-wing organization were detained during the international operation coordinated by Eurojust and Europol on Thursday.
The organization was using an online communication platform to disseminate propaganda on terrorism and violent extremism, to recruit others to commit terrorist offenses and to share instructions on how to make and use explosives and firearms, the police said.
Some members are suspected to have written manifestos and were in possession of various weapons.
"Despite the young age of the suspects, all indications pointed to a high risk that some of these individuals would take violent action in the near future," the police said.
The one person arrested in Lithuania is suspected of participation in a terrorist group with the aim of committing terrorist offenses and incitement to commit terrorist offenses.
The pre-trial investigation in Lithuania is being carried out by the country's Criminal Police Bureau and coordinated by the Prosecutor General's Office.
By Ingrida Steniulienė
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