LITHUANIA DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
IN THIS ISSUE:
- Patriarchate of Constantinople set to complete church structure set-up in Lithuania
- Lithuania records no illegal border crossings from Belarus
- Lithuanian court to hear Karach's appeal against denial of asylum
- Two people die in major fire in Vilnius apartment block
- Lithuania to buy multifunction radar systems from the Netherlands
- Police in Lithuania find over 2 kilos of cocaine inside car
- Lithuanian president's requests on ambassadors may violate separation of powers – ministry
- Case of arms smuggling to Russia by Vilnius district resident goes to court
- Lithuanian court to rule on Belarusian activist Karach's asylum appeal on Jan 10
- Upcoming events in Lithuania for Thursday, January 4, 2024
- Last December was least sunny month in Lithuania's history
Patriarchate of Constantinople set to complete church structure set-up in Lithuania
VILNIUS, Jan 03, BNS - The Patriarchate of Constantinople will complete the establishment of an Orthodox Church structure in Lithuania - an exarchate - later this week, one of its members said on Wednesday.
The structure will be established in Lithuania under canon law following the arrival of the head of the new exarchate, Estonian priest Justinus Kiviloo, priest Gintaras Sungaila said.
"With his arrival, the formation of the church structure in Lithuania will be completed," Sungaila told BNS. "With the canonical side of the matter settled, we are now going to register as a religious community under secular law."
Kiviloo will arrive in Lithuania on Friday and hold his first service on Saturday.
Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople announced his intention to set up a church structure in Lithuania in March when he visited the country and reinstated five former priests of the Lithuanian Orthodox Archdiocese, which is subordinate to the Moscow Patriarchate
Sungaila says the new exarchate will seek the status of a traditional religious community.
"We want to have the legal status of a traditional religious community as in Lithuania it was our religious community that established the first official church structure in the 14th century, the Lithuanian Metropolia. It was the structure of the Patriarchate of Constantinople," he said.
Orthodox Christians in Lithuania are considered one of the nine traditional religious communities, so the recognition of the Exarchate of Constantinople will not require a Seimas resolution as the decision on their registration will be made by the Justice Ministry.
Such recognition would also allow the exarchate to receive financial state allocated to traditional religious communities.
According to Sungaila, the new exarch plans to meet with representatives of Lithuanian state institutions that decide on the registration of a religious community. The clergy have not yet discussed in detail how they would spend state aid, if allocated, he added.
Five members of the new exarchate were defrocked by the Lithuanian Orthodox Archdiocese in 2022 for their alleged canonical offenses, but Constantinople later ruled that they were punished for their position on the issue of Russia's invasion in Ukraine, not for breaking the canonical rules.
The new exarchate will include a total of ten clergy and ten congregations in different Lithuanian cities.
Sungaila says Orthodox Christians subordinate to Constantinople do not yet have their own houses of worship in Lithuania and either rent spaces or are allowed to use spaces for free by Roman Catholic and Protestant religious communities.
By Saulius Jakučionis, Augustas Stankevičius
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Lithuania records no illegal border crossings from Belarus
VILNIUS, Jan 03, BNS – Lithuanian border guards have in the past 24 hours recorded no attempts to cross into the country from Belarus illegally, the State Border Guard Service (SBGS) said on Wednesday morning.
Latvia did not report any attempts at illegal border crossings on Tuesday either. Eight irregular migrants were not allowed into Poland on Monday, according to the latest available information.
More than 2,500 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 almost 22,000 people from crossing in from Belarus since August 3, 2021, when they were given the right to turn away irregular migrants. The number includes repeated attempts by the same people to cross the border.
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 court to hear Karach's appeal against denial of asylum
VILNIUS, Jan 03, BNS – The Supreme Administrative Court of Lithuania is to hear on Wednesday Belarusian activist Olga Karach's appeal against a lower court's ruling to uphold the Migration Department's decision not to grant her asylum in Lithuania.
Neringa Lukoseviciene, the Supreme Administrative Court's spokeswoman, has told BNS that a three-judge panel will hear the appeal by written procedure in a closed session.
The court's ruling will be final and not subject to appeal.
Last August, the Migration Department denied the Belarusian activist asylum, citing as the reason the State Security Department's conclusion that her residence in the country posed a national security threat due to her alleged ties with Russian intelligence.
Karach, the head of the Our House (Nash Dom) organization, appealed the ruling, but the lower court in November upheld the Migration Department's decision.
The migration body has granted the activist a temporary residence permit in Lithuania on humanitarian grounds, which can be extended.
While her asylum case is pending in court, she will maintain the status of an asylum seeker, which also allows her to stay in Lithuania.
Karach has confirmed that she was warned by the State Security Department's officers last spring over her ties to Russian intelligence, but she refrained from elaborating further on this issue.
The activist, who has been receiving residence permits in Lithuania since 2014, applied for asylum last year.
Our House says it provides humanitarian, psychological and other assistance to Belarusians both in their homeland and in Lithuania, and also monitors human rights violations.
The organization was declared extremist by Minsk in 2022. Karach was put on the "terrorist list" by the Belarusian KGB in 2021.
By Ingrida Steniulienė
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Two people die in major fire in Vilnius apartment block
VILNIUS, Jan 03, BNS - Two people were killed and four needed medical attention after a fire broke out in a five-story Soviet-era apartment block in the Virsuliskes residential area of Vilnius on Tuesday.
The explosion and the fire that engulfed several floors of the building were reported just before noon on Tuesday and firefighters were extinguishing the fire until Wednesday morning.
According to the Fire and Rescue Department, the bodies of two people were found at the fire site, including of a small child who was missing since the fire started. They cannot be retrieved as there are fears that the building's supporting structures may collapse.
The Vilnius authorities declared as state of emergency at the burned apartment block on Tuesday night. They say 57 residents were left homeless by the fire. Some of them have been temporarily accommodated in hotels, while others are staying with relatives.
The cause of the explosion and the fire is not yet clear, with a gas leak being one of the possible explanations.
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Lithuania to buy multifunction radar systems from the Netherlands
VILNIUS, Jan 03, BNS – Lithuania's Defense Ministry will buy multifunctional artillery radar systems Thales GM200 MM/C from Dutch company Thales Nederland, the ministry said on Wednesday.
"The artillery radar systems to be purchased by Lithuania will significantly strengthen artillery capabilities," Defense Minister Arvydas Anusauskas said, adding that the aim of these radars is to identify the positions of the enemy's indirect fire systems based on the trajectory of the projectiles fired and to ensure a rapid response to enemy fire.
"This is a very important purchase," the minister underlined.
The agreement signed between the Defense Ministries of Lithuania and the Netherlands also provides for cooperation in the field of multifunction radar support. The possible participation of the Lithuanian defense industry in similar projects is also under discussion.
The project is worth 126.7 million euros and it also includes a logistics package that covers technical documentation, the training of operators and maintenance personnel, the initial spare parts package, special tool kit and test equipment.
The first radar systems are expected to be delivered to Lithuania by 2026.
Thales GM200 MM/C artillery radar systems have been developed in cooperation with the Dutch Armed Forces as a multifunctional system so that they can be used both for air surveillance and can also be integrated into air defense systems, if required.
Thales GM200 MM/C systems have been purchased by the Dutch and Norwegian armies.
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Police in Lithuania find over 2 kilos of cocaine inside car
VILNIUS, Jan 03, BNS – Police officers in Lithuania's southern city of Marijampole have seized over two kilograms of cocaine, an illegal firearm and an SUV stolen in France, the Marijampole County Police reported on Wednesday.
The large amount of drugs was seized during an undercover operation carried out in cooperation with officers from the State Border Guard Service. During the operation, a Mercedes-Benz driven by a Jurbarkas resident was stopped and police officers searched the vehicle and found cocaine stashed inside.
Meanwhile, in Jurbarkas, officers detained another local resident also linked to cocaine smuggling. Having noticed police officers, the man tried to escape but failed to do so as officers chased him down and used physical force to detain him.
A search at his address in Jurbarkas resulted in the discovery of an illegally stored PM combat pistol with a sound suppressor and ammunition. A luxury Audi Q5 SUV, stolen in France and looked for by law enforcement authorities, was also seized from one of the detainees.
Both suspects are now in custody.
A pre-trial investigation into the illegal disposal and smuggling of drugs is underway, and the men are facing up to 18 years in prison.
By Ingrida Steniulienė
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Lithuanian president's requests on ambassadors may violate separation of powers – ministry
VILNIUS, Jan 03, BNS – The Lithuanian Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday that it will respond to an inquiry from President Gitanas Nauseda's office about selection procedures for ambassadorial candidates, but added that such requests may have signs of exceeding constitutional powers.
The chancellor of the president's office wrote to the Foreign Ministry's chancellor on Tuesday, asking her to provide Nauseda with documents on the selection procedures carried out by the ministry to fill the positions of the heads of Lithuania's diplomatic missions, including the embassy to Poland.
Paulina Levickyte, spokeswoman for Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis, told BNS on Wednesday that the inquiry will be answered "in accordance with the procedure laid down by law".
"It should be noted that the minister has provided the parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs with a detailed chronology of the depoliticized selection procedure for the heads of diplomatic institutions and the procedure for the approval of candidates," the spokeswoman said.
"The president's adviser was also present at the meeting," she added.
Levickyte noted that, under the Constitution, the president appoints and recalls Lithuania's diplomatic representatives to foreign states "upon submission by the government".
"The president's representatives or the chancellor are not granted any rights or powers in the procedure of candidate selection and submission," the spokeswoman said.
"Therefore, such requests may have signs of exceeding constitutional powers and may violate the principle of separation of powers enshrined in the Constitution," she added.
The president's office proposes to change the Foreign Ministry's procedure for appointing ambassadors.
According to Frederikas Jansonas, an adviser to Nauseda, it could be similar to the procedure for appointing judges, where the president is informed about all candidates in the selection process, not just the first-ranked one.
The proposal comes amid continuing disagreements over the appointment of the Lithuanian ambassador to Poland.
By Vilmantas Venckūnas
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Case of arms smuggling to Russia by Vilnius district resident goes to court
VILNIUS, Jan 03, BNS – A criminal case in which a Vilnius District resident is accused of arms smuggling and violating international sanctions by transporting weapons to and from Russia has been has sent to court for trial.
Charges have been brought not only against the 47-year-old man, but also against the company he managed, the Vilnius Regional Prosecutor's Office said on Wednesday.
According to the pre-trial investigation, the defendant, acting for the benefit of the company, transported weapons and their parts, and ammunition to and from Russia through Kyrgyzstan between 2019 and 2021.
It shows that the man imported almost 1,300 firearms, 3,300 firearm parts and more than 20,000 rounds of ammunition by air from Russia via Kyrgyzstan into Lithuania between early 2019 and August 2020.
Law enforcement suspects that between 2019 and 2021, the defendant exported 406 firearms, 16 firearm parts, and over 500,000 rounds of ammunition from the EU to Kyrgyzstan. The man failed to declare the actual country of final destination in customs documents and knew that the weapons would later be transferred to their final recipients – companies and individuals in Russia.
According to the investigation, in order to obtain permits to trade in weapons, their parts and ammunition, the man submitted documents which, it is believed, deliberately omitted data identifying the weapons, such as the country of their acquisition.
The criminal case will be heard by the Vilnius Regional Court.
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Lithuanian court to rule on Belarusian activist Karach's asylum appeal on Jan 10
VILNIUS, Jan 03, BNS – The Supreme Administrative Court of Lithuania will issue its ruling on Belarusian activist Olga Karach's asylum appeal on January 10.
"The announcement (of the judgement) has been postponed until January 10," Neringa Lukoseviciene, the court's spokeswoman, confirmed to BNS.
Karach's appeal against a lower court's ruling to uphold the Migration Department's decision not to grant her asylum in Lithuania was heard by a three-judge panel by written procedure in a closed session earlier on Wednesday.
The Supreme Administrative Court's ruling will be final and not subject to appeal.
Last August, the Migration Department denied the Belarusian activist asylum, citing as the reason the State Security Department's conclusion that her residence in the country posed a national security threat due to her alleged ties with Russian intelligence.
Karach, the head of the Our House (Nash Dom) organization, appealed the Migration Department's decision, but the lower court upheld in November.
The migration body has granted the activist a temporary residence permit in Lithuania on humanitarian grounds, which can be extended.
While her asylum case is pending in court, she will maintain the status of an asylum seeker, which also allows her to stay in Lithuania.
Karach has confirmed that she was warned by the State Security Department's officers last spring over her ties to Russian intelligence, but she refrained from elaborating further on this issue.
The activist, who has been receiving residence permits in Lithuania since 2014, applied for asylum last year.
Our House says it provides humanitarian, psychological and other assistance to Belarusians both in their homeland and in Lithuania, and also monitors human rights violations.
The organization was declared extremist by Minsk in 2022. Karach was put on the "terrorist list" by the Belarusian KGB in 2021.
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Upcoming events in Lithuania for Thursday, January 4, 2024
VILNIUS, Jan 04, BNS – The following events are scheduled in Lithuania for Thursday, January 4, 2024:
EDUCATION, SCIENCE AND SPORT MINISTER Gintaras Jakstas to meet with Indian Ambassador to Lithuania Devesh Uttam at 2 p.m.
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Last December was least sunny month in Lithuania's history
VILNIUS, Jan 04, BNS - Meteorologists in Lithuania recorded the smallest number of sunny days in December 2023 since the middle of the last century.
"Having checked all months since the middle of the last century, we have found that December 2023 was the least sunny of all the months," the Lithuanian Hydrometeorological Service on Wednesday.
The sun was shining 8.7 hours on average in Lithuania in December, which is just one-third of the long-term norm of 29 hours.
The least sunny month in Lithuania before that was December 2018, with 9.9 hours of sunshine.
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