LITHUANIA DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
IN THIS ISSUE:
- Upcoming events in Lithuania for Wednesday, November 15, 2023
- Lithuanian, Polish presidents discuss security situation, support for Ukraine
- Vilnius Airport receives anonymous bomb threat, evacuates passengers
- 20 irregular migrants turned away on Lithuania's border with Belarus
- Lithuania's Freedom Party nominates Zalimas for president, he vows to be fair to everyone
- Lithuania reports 736 new COVID-19 cases, 1 death
- Lithuania fulfils commitments on China, Taiwan – speaker
- Lithuania, Germany to sign brigade agreement next year – ministry
- Vilnius Airport operates normally again after bomb threat
- Lithuania, Germany to sign brigade agreement next year – ministry (expands)
- Watchdog to probe Lithuanian president, UK ambassador's opera visit
- Lithuanian govt OKs plans to set up Coast Guard Frontier District
- Govt bans more dual-use goods from passing through Lithuania
- Prosecutor urges chair to step aside as Lithuanian parlt panel starts whistleblower probe
- Lithuanian troops take part in exercise in Germany
- Upcoming events in Lithuania for Thursday, November 16, 2023
Upcoming events in Lithuania for Wednesday, November 15, 2023
VILNIUS, Nov 15, BNS – The following events are scheduled in Lithuania for Wednesday, November 15, 2023:
PRESIDENT Gitanas Nauseda to receive credentials from Ambassador Aliou Barry of the Republic of Guinea at 1 p.m.; to receive credentials from Nepalese Ambassador Ram Swarth Ray at 2 p.m.
SPEAKER OF THE SEIMAS Viktorija Cmilyte-Nielsen to meet with Ambassador of the Order of Malta Christoph Calic at 9.30 a.m.
PRIME MINISTER Ingrida Simonyte to attend a commemoration of the International Day for Tolerance at 9 a.m.
HEALTH MINISTER Arunas Dulkys to pay a working visit to the United States.
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Lithuanian, Polish presidents discuss security situation, support for Ukraine
VILNIUS, Nov 15, BNS – Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda yesterday had a phone conversation with Polish President Andrzej Duda and they discussed the regional security situation, the course of the war in Ukraine, as well as support for Ukraine.
Nauseda underscored that as new conflicts emerge in Europe’s neighborhood, it is important to maintain the international community’s focus on Ukraine. According to the Lithuanian president, Lithuania and Poland must not only continue to actively support Ukraine, but also mobilize allies and partners to maintain the speed and the scope of support, the presidential press service said on Tuesday
"Lithuania and Poland fully understand the importance of Ukraine’s victory against Russia. This is the only way to achieve peace and stability in Europe. We cannot let the war fatigue set in and we have to continue keeping our support for Ukraine at the top of the international agenda," Nauseda added.
During the conversation, the Lithuanian president underlined that as the security situation in the region is not improving, Lithuania is actively investing in defense, adding that cooperation between Lithuania and Poland in ensuring the security of the region, both bilaterally and within NATO, is of utmost importance.
Nauseda also stressed the need to effectively implement the decisions taken at the NATO Summit in Vilnius on strengthening NATO’s eastern flank, as well as to put more emphasis on improving military mobility in the region.
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Vilnius Airport receives anonymous bomb threat, evacuates passengers
VILNIUS, Nov 15, BNS - Vilnius Airport received an anonymous call on Wednesday morning, saying that a bomb had been planted, Lietuvos Oro Uostai (Lithuanian Airports, LTOU), the airport operator in Lithuania, said.
In response, some passengers were evacuated from the airport.
"All special services were immediately informed, and the airport is undergoing a space check and situation assessment. While the common areas are being checked and the information is being assessed, passengers have been evacuated from the common areas of the arrival and departure terminals," LTOU said.
Around 100 people were reportedly evacuated.
Julija Samorokovskaja, spokeswoman for the Vilnius District Chief Police Commissariat, told BNS that the call was received at 8.22 am. The police were informed by the head of airport security. Officers are currently checking the airport.
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20 irregular migrants turned away on Lithuania's border with Belarus
VILNIUS, Nov 15, BNS – Lithuanian border guards have in the past 24 hours turned away 20 migrants attempting to cross into the country from Belarus illegally, the State Border Guard Service (SBGS) said on Wednesday morning.
Latvia reported 35 attempts at illegal border crossings on Tuesday, and 46 irregular migrants were not allowed into Poland on Monday, according to the latest available information.
A total of 2,374 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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Lithuania's Freedom Party nominates Zalimas for president, he vows to be fair to everyone
VILNIUS, Nov 15, BNS – Lithuania's Freedom Party, part of the ruling block, has nominated Dainius Zalimas, a former president of the country's Constitutional Court, for president.
"I think the goals are both to offer an alternative and to win," Zalimas, now dean of Vytautas Magnus University's Faculty of Law, told BNS on Tuesday. "My business and professional qualities, my experience in both professional and state work, could allow me to make this institution fair for everyone."
Zalimas, 50, is a constitutional law expert with a PhD from Vilnius University, who has been working at the Constitutional Court since 2011, served as the court's president since 2014.
In 1996, Zalimas joined the Homeland Union, but left the party after five years.
From 1998 to 2011, the presidential candidate served as an advisor to the defense minister. During this period, he ran in three elections, representing the Homeland Union list. He is currently a lecturer at the Institute of International and European Union Law at VMU and Mykolas Romeris University.
The Freedom Party candidate says the presidential office has been "largely exploited for personal, insulting ambitions or to pander to outdated stereotypes" in recent years.
"The president must be fair to everyone. This is one of the basic constitutional imperatives," the lawyer said. "At the moment, we see virtually no leadership of moral authority, nor leadership on issues that are core to the country. We do not want to waste another five years. The last year of the presidency, I think, is a period of lost opportunities and stagnation for Lithuania."
Common values
Zalimas says that he shares common values with the Freedom Party that was founded just over four years ago.
"We share the same values, including the rule of law, human rights, democracy, and finally the need to take decisions and act decisively," Zalimas said. "This is a natural convergence of values. (...) We have found each other, indeed."
Asked what's his main difference from Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte, who has the backing of some liberals and has been nominated for president by the ruling conservative Homeland Union – Lithuanian Christian Democrats, Zalimas said he's open.
"What the government and many political leaders are lacking is openness, honesty and direct communication with the public," he said, adding that even good decisions that not properly explained "get tangled in conspiracy theories and are used for spreading disinformation".
"We probably need new and fresh faces in the political arena," Zalimas said.
Vows to share European Council visits
Polls show incumbent Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda is the clear favorite to win the election, with lawyer Ignas Vegele and Simonyte also in the TOP-3.
Vegele and Nauseda, however, have not yet announced whether they will run for president.
Zalimas says he sees no need to change Lithuania's foreign policy stance, but stresses that it could be tougher.
"Of course, the support for freedom around the world and, above all, the unconditional support for Ukraine, because Lithuania's future depends on it, remains key. However, there are untapped opportunities here, and these opportunities lie within presidential leadership, perhaps in terms of formation of appropriate positions within the EU and NATO," the lawyer said.
"I really miss Lithuania's stronger voice, and I think it could have one. (...) Sometimes, it seems to me, Lithuania's position is expressed too moderately," he added.
Zalimas also believes Nauseda needs to work more closely with the government and Foreign Ministry when appointing Lithuanian diplomats.
The presidential candidate points out that, unlike the current Lithuanian president, he would share visits to European Council meetings with the prime minister.
"I think that the one who is responsible for the issue under discussion should go," Zalimas said.
He believes the president's specific role in domestic policy depends on "who the president has to cooperate with, what government and ruling coalition".
"The president should play the role of a rallying authority and show leadership when various controversial issues arise, as well as initiative to resolve these issues, and not just criticize from the side, looking down," Zalimas said.
Lithuania will elect e new president in May.
By Augustas Stankevičius
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Lithuania reports 736 new COVID-19 cases, 1 death
VILNIUS, Nov 15, BNS – Lithuania has recorded 736 new coronavirus infections and one death from COVID-19 over the past 24 hours, official statistics showed on Wednesday morning.
The 14-day primary infection rate has risen to 244.4 cases per 100,000 people, with the seven-day percentage of positive tests at 31.8 percent.
The number of new coronavirus cases hit the peak in Lithuania in early February 2022 when more than 14,000 new infections were recorded daily. Around 1.19 million people in Lithuania have tested positive for COVID-19 at least once.
COVID-19 incidence in Lithuania took an upward turn in mid-September after having stayed at a low level since May.
Some 68.5 percent of people in the country have received at least one coronavirus vaccine jab so far, according to the statistics.
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Lithuania fulfils commitments on China, Taiwan – speaker
VILNIUS, Nov 15, BNS - Lithuania is fulfilling its commitments towards China and Taiwan, including the One-China principle, Speaker of the Seimas Speaker Viktorija Cmilyte-Nielsen says.
Questions about Lithuania's foreign policy on these issues emerged sphere after the Taiwanese foreign minister visited Lithuania last week and the Seimas speaker decided to meet with him.
Meanwhile, Lithuania's other government officials, including Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis, refused to meet with Taiwan's top diplomat Joseph Wu in order to avoid any hint of recognition of Taipei.
"That line is being maintained and we are doing so in line with our previous commitments, which include the One-China policy," Cmilyte-Nielsen told the Ziniu Radijas news radio on Wednesday.
She says Lithuania is establishing "economic, academic, cultural and human relations" with Taiwan, not diplomatic ties.
"I see what has happened in Lithuania in recent weeks and the arrival of Taiwan's foreign minister as a consistent compliance with our commitments," the Seimas speaker said. "If we don't have diplomatic relations, then foreign ministers don't meet. It cannot be otherwise."
Meanwhile, lawmakers, including parliamentary leaders, have more room for maneuver, she added.
Cmilyt-Nielsen herself visited Taiwan in October.
China downgraded its diplomatic representation with Lithuania in 2021 and imposed trade restrictions after Vilnius allowed Taiwan to open a representative office under this island's name as
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 to avoid giving the island international legitimacy.
During Wu's visit to Lithuania, Landsbergis announced that Lithuania was talking to Beijing about normalizing their relations.
"I think we are talking about the fact that trade relations remain (...), economic cooperation exists and there is no desire to somehow stop it. I think this is a rational position for Lithuania and I do not see any particular change in this case," Cmilyte-Nielsen said.
By Saulius Jakučionis
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Lithuania, Germany to sign brigade agreement next year – ministry
VILNIUS, Nov 15, BNS - Lithuania and Germany will sign an inter-state agreement on the deployment of the German brigade in the second half of next year, Lithuania's Defense Ministry said on Wednesday.
And the agreement will be submitted to the Seimas for ratification.
"The implementation plan for hosting the German brigade in Lithuania will be signed in December and will cover civil and military infrastructure. Therefore, it is very important to pool the joint efforts of all state institutions, including municipalities and the private sector, for the implementation of this plan," Defense Minister Arvydas Anusauskas said.
Troops assigned to the German brigade will arrive in Lithuania gradually and the Baltic country will receive the first troops as early as 2024, and the entire German brigade is expected to be deployed by 2027.
The German troops will be based in Vilnius and Kaunas, but some logistical elements are planned in other parts of Lithuania.
Anusauskas says that one of the key tasks for hosting the German brigade is to agree on the civilian infrastructure, including all the necessary services for the families arriving with the soldiers. Also, Lithuania needs to strengthen transport services as roads, trains and planes will be important not only for the German troops stationed in Lithuania, but also for Lithuanian businesses, and that will be beneficial for Lithuania as a whole.
The German Defense Ministry announced last week that the core of its brigade in Lithuania would consist of two tank battalions, with a third battalion initially to be formed by the German-led NATO battalion battle group.
The brigade in Lithuania will be called Panzerbrigade 42. Its HQ is expected to move to Lithuania in the last quarter of 2024. Germany intends to deploy a total of around 4,000 troops in Lithuania.
Vilnius and Berlin started discussing the brigade's deployment in Lithuania to beef up regional security after Russia invaded Ukraine. The brigade's Forward Command Element is currently stationed in Lithuania.
Germany has been also leading an international NATO battalion deployed in Lithuania since 2017.
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Vilnius Airport operates normally again after bomb threat
VILNIUS, Nov 15, BNS - Vilnius Airport resumed normal operations on Wednesday following checks carried out after a bomb threat was received by telephone earlier in the day. No explosives were found.
"After a detailed inspection of the airport's premises and an assessment of the situation by the special services, operations are back to normal, passengers are allowed to enter the airport terminals again, and check-in for scheduled flights is underway," Lietuvos Oro Uostai (Lithuanian Airports, LTOU), the airport operator in Lithuania, said.
The incident affected two scheduled flights to Helsinki and Warsaw that were delayed.
Vilnius Airport received an anonymous bomb threat on Wednesday morning and around 100 people were evacuated from the airport in response to the call.
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Lithuania, Germany to sign brigade agreement next year – ministry (expands)
(Updated version: updates throughout)
VILNIUS, Nov 15, BNS - Lithuania and Germany will sign an inter-state agreement on the deployment of the German brigade in the second half of next year, Lithuania's Defense Ministry said on Wednesday.
And the agreement will be submitted to the Seimas for ratification.
Thus agreement will define the legal, tax, employment and other conditions for German citizens to live in Lithuania, Defense Minister Arvydas Anusauskas says.
"There are many things that need to be defined in the agreement. (...) Despite the fact that the European Union is removing a lot of these limits, the bilateral agreement will allow defining more specific conditions, mainly related to the stay of civilians and military families in Lithuania," the minister told reporters on Wednesday at the Seimas after a closed-door meeting of the parliamentary Committee on National Security and Defense, adding that a meeting with German representatives is scheduled for December 19 when the plan on the deployment of the German brigade in Lithuania will be signed.
The minister, however, refrained to specify what would be included in the plan, as negotiations are still ongoing.
"The implementation plan for hosting the German brigade in Lithuania will be signed in December and will cover civil and military infrastructure. Therefore, it is very important to pool the joint efforts of all state institutions, including municipalities and the private sector, for the implementation of this plan," Anusauskas said.
Troops assigned to the German brigade will arrive in Lithuania gradually and the Baltic country will receive the first troops as early as 2024, and the entire German brigade is expected to be deployed by 2027.
"If we have civilians, we are talking about them living in a city, not in a village," the minister said.
The German troops will be based in Vilnius and Kaunas, but some logistical elements are planned in other parts of Lithuania.
Anusauskas says that one of the key tasks for hosting the German brigade is to agree on the civilian infrastructure, including all the necessary services for the families arriving with the soldiers. Also, Lithuania needs to strengthen transport services as roads, trains and planes will be important not only for the German troops stationed in Lithuania, but also for Lithuanian businesses, and that will be beneficial for Lithuania as a whole.
The minister says it's not yet clear how much additional funding would be needed for the settlement of civilians in Lithuania.
For his part, Laurynas Kasciunas, chair of the CNSD, says there's also an ongoing discussion about the pre-deployment of weapons or ammunition for the German division.
"This may be a visionary idea, but it is extremely important. Then the arrival is faster, then we are even stronger, more capable, the deterrent effect is much stronger," he said.
The German Defense Ministry announced last week that the core of its brigade in Lithuania would consist of two tank battalions, with a third battalion initially to be formed by the German-led NATO battalion battle group.
The brigade in Lithuania will be called Panzerbrigade 42. Its HQ is expected to move to Lithuania in the last quarter of 2024. Germany intends to deploy a total of around 4,000 troops in Lithuania.
Vilnius and Berlin started discussing the brigade's deployment in Lithuania to beef up regional security after Russia invaded Ukraine. The brigade's Forward Command Element is currently stationed in Lithuania.
Germany has been also leading an international NATO battalion deployed in Lithuania since 2017.
By Jūratė Skėrytė
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Watchdog to probe Lithuanian president, UK ambassador's opera visit
VILNIUS, Nov 15, BNS – The Chief Official Ethics Commission said on Wednesday it had decided to launch an investigation into the circumstances of President Gitanas Nauseda and Ambassador to the United Kingdom Eitvydas Bajaunas' visit to the Royal Opera House in London.
"COEC will assess whether the participation in this event was directly related to the performance of the president and the ambassador's official duties," the statement said.
The presidential office has refrained to comment the decision to open an investigation.
Matas Maldeikis, a member of the ruling conservative Homeland Union – Lithuanian Christian Democrats political group in the Seimas, turned to the ethics watchdog in October.
When Nauseda visited London last spring, Bajarunas invited him and his wife to see The Phantom of the Opera and bought the tickets with the embassy's money. The ambassador later claimed it was a misunderstanding that he corrected and paid for out of his own pocket.
However, the Foreign Ministry has information that the request to cover the expenses with personal funds was only made when the ministry started looking into the situation more than four months later.
Following complaints from embassy staff regarding Bajarunas' alleged misconduct, Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis suspended the ambassador and summoned him to Vilnius for consultations in mid-October. Such a step was made after an investigation by the ministry's General Inspectorate.
The president called the decision half-hearted and called for an official investigation. The Foreign Ministry, however, argued that this is not foreseen by existing legislation.
Bajarunas has also asked for an independent investigation and says he's being psychologically abused by the ministry because his reputation is being damaged by information leaks related to the accusations against him.
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Lithuanian govt OKs plans to set up Coast Guard Frontier District
VILNIUS, Nov 15, BNS – The Lithuanian government on Wednesday approved the Interior Ministry's proposal) to set up a Coast Guard Frontier District within the country's State Border Guard Service.
The new unit will operate in the border area along the state borders with Russia and Latvia, in the territorial waters and the Curonian Lagoon, in seaports, and within the territory of the international airport of Palanga.
"It is important for us to ensure more effective border protection. (...) The blue border, the sea border, has its own specifics," Interior Minister Agne Bilotaite told BNS on Wednesday.
The Coast Guard Frontier District will be established from the beginning of next year.
The Interior Ministry said earlier the Coast Guard Frontier District will have migration and criminal intelligence units and will ensure a more effective fight against smuggling and illegal migration.
It will also contribute to the protection of strategic facilities, including the Klaipeda LNG terminal, which is located within its area.
The Coast Guard Frontier District operated within the SBGS before it was merged into the Pagegiai Frontier District in early 2020. The Coast Guard Division was then set up within the Pagegiai district for the protection of the state border in the territorial sea and the Curonian Lagoon.
Lithuania shares a 255-kilometer land border with Russia, 18 kilometers along the Curonian Lagoon, and 22 kilometers along the Baltic Sea.
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Govt bans more dual-use goods from passing through Lithuania
VILNIUS, Nov 15, BNS – The Lithuanian government on Wednesday updated the national list of controlled dual-use goods banned from being transported overland through Lithuania. The move comes in response to a increase in exports of goods from Lithuania to third countries last year and this year, with some of these goods ending up in Russia and Belarus.
"We are making every effort to reduce the technical capabilities of Russia and Belarus to conduct hostilities in Ukraine. Back in June, we restricted exports of dual-use items that are being exported to Central Asian countries via Lithuania, Belarus and Russia and that could be used for hostilities in Ukraine. As we see the need to reinforce our solutions, we are introducing additional restrictions," Economy and Innovation Minister Ausrine Armonaite was quoted as saying in a statement.
The government resolution specifies that the list will also include machining centers, metal turning, drilling, boring, milling, threading machines, optical and semiconductor media, manganese dioxide, lithium-ion galvanic cells and batteries, vehicles for transporting goods and barometers.
According to the ministry, these goods are used in the production of high explosive projectiles for tanks, which are then used in the war in Ukraine. Meanwhile, galvanic cells and batteries are among the main components in the production of military UAVs.
In June, the Lithuanian government banned the overland transportation of 57 groups of dual-use goods through Lithuania, mainly products with microelectronic and semiconductor components.
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Prosecutor urges chair to step aside as Lithuanian parlt panel starts whistleblower probe
VILNIUS, Nov 15, BNS – Prosecutor Arturas Urbelis on Wednesday called on Vytautas Bakas, chairman of the Lithuanian parliament's temporary inquiry commission, to recuse himself, as the panel started looking into the actions of the State Security Department's top officials in vetting the inner circle of Gitanas Nauseda, then a presidential candidate, as claimed by a whistleblower.
According to Urbelis, Bakas, who chaired the parliamentary Committee on National Security and Defense (CNSD) in the previous term, was the first to read the whistleblower’s report but failed to share the material with the committee.
"It appears that the chairman wants to investigate himself. What impartiality can we talk about? We urge the commission's chairman to recuse himself so that the objectivity of the investigation is not called into question," the prosecutor said.
"This is about a conflict of interest and the impartial work of the commission," he added.
Prosecutors also want the commission to conduct its inquiry behind closed doors.
"We want to raise the issue of making all hearings closed, on the grounds that the security of the whistleblower and the protection of state secrets should be ensured," Prosecutor General Nida Grunskiene told the commission on Wednesday.
Urbelis of the Prosecutor General's Office said that the commission will be dealing with secret or confidential information that cannot be discussed in public.
Bakas said that parliamentary inquiry commissions typically hold open meetings and suggested as a compromise that politicians should ask questions and prosecutors inform them if they cannot answer them due to confidentiality.
It was also agreed not the identify the whistleblower.
Urbelis also noted that the investigation might involve questioning Bakas, who was the first to receive information from the whistleblower.
The parliament in October set up the temporary inquiry commission to investigate the circumstances disclosed by the whistleblower.
The commission, which comprises mostly MPs from the ruling bloc, has until March 10 to present its findings.
Supporters of the investigation argue that the whistleblower's story has left unanswered questions, while opponents claim it would be directed against President Nauseda to undermine his popularity in the run-up to next year's presidential election.
The initiative to set up the commission came after the Prosecutor General's Office stated last spring that the report submitted by the whistleblower, then an intelligence officer, to Bakas, the then CNSD chairman, in 2019 had not been properly examined.
In his report, the SSD officer complained about his superiors' allegedly unlawful actions.
New details about this case emerged in a book by journalists Dovydas Pancerovas and Birute Davidonyte, titled The Whistleblower and the President.
The former SSD officer told the journalists that in July 2018, he received several sheets of paper with many names and a verbal instruction from Remigijus Bridikis, the intelligence agency's deputy director, "to vet the electoral team of one candidate and the list of possible supporters".
It turned out that the list contained the names of supporters and associates of the then-presidential candidate Nauseda.
Having looked into the situation at the time, the CNSD stated that the SSD had acted lawfully in vetting people close to the presidential candidates, but urged refraining from verbal instructions in such situations.
While SSD officials said that all presidential candidates' teams had been vetted, the whistleblower claimed that only Nauseda's team had been subjected to checks and that Bridikis confirmed to him that the lists had been obtained from Nauseda.
The president categorically denies having asked the SSD to vet his team.
By Milena Andrukaitytė
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Lithuanian troops take part in exercise in Germany
VILNIUS, Nov 15, BNS – Lithuania's Iron Wolf Mechanized Infantry Brigade is taking part in the Schneller Degen 2023 (Rapid Sword) exercise in Germany, the Lithuanian Armed Forces said on Wednesday.
The exercise, which started on Monday and will run until November 29, will see the Lithuanian troops training along with more than 2,000 troops from 14 NATO and partner nations to plan defense and offensive operations.
Schneller Degen 2023 is this year's most significant staff exercise for the Iron Wolf Brigade.
The international command element exercise is organized annually by the German Armed Forces.
The Iron Wolf Brigade, which has been assigned to Germany's 10th Panzer Division for training purposes since 2018, participates in the exercise annually.
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Upcoming events in Lithuania for Thursday, November 16, 2023
VILNIUS, Nov 15, BNS – The following events are scheduled in Lithuania for Thursday, November 16, 2023:
PRESIDENT Gitanas Nauseda to attend the BIO CITY construction launch event in Vilnius at 10 a.m.
THE SEIMAS' plenary sittings to start at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
A joint commission of the Seimas and the Lithuanian World Community to hold meetings at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
PRIME MINISTER Ingrida Simonyte to participate in the so-called "government hour" at the Seimas at noon; to meet with Chey Tae-won, chairman of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry and SK Group, at 4 p.m.
HEALTH MINISTER Arunas Dulkys to pay a working visit to the US.
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