LITHUANIA DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
IN THIS ISSUE:
- Upcoming events in Lithuania for Thursday, January 11, 2024
- Lithuania records no illegal border crossings from Belarus for 10th straight day
- Polish, Romanian foreign ministers to come to Vilnius ahead of Snow Meeting
- Economy minister, Swiss defense start-up to discuss drone production in Lithuania
- Lithuanian Agriculture Council decides to continue protests
- Lithuanian justice minister warns against populism in discussion about Russian schools
- Lithuanian economy minister, defense start-up to discuss drone production (corrects)
- Lithuania joins STRIKFORNATO HQ
- Air defense rotation in NATO's east would be proper response to Russia – Lithuanian formin
- Demining coalition in Vilnius discusses Ukraine's needs, possible partner contributions
- Upcoming events in Lithuania for Friday, January 12, 2024
Upcoming events in Lithuania for Thursday, January 11, 2024
VILNIUS, Jan 11, BNS – The following events are scheduled in Lithuania for Thursday, January 11, 2024.
SPEAKER OF THE SEIMAS Viktorija Cmilyte-Nielsen to attend the Snow Meeting at 6.30 p.m.
THE DEFENSE MINISTRY
Greek Defense Minister Nikolaos Dendias to pay a visit to Lithuania. The welcome ceremony to take place outside the Defense Ministry in central Vilnius at 11 a.m., followed by the ministers; joint press conference at 11.50 a.m.
SOCIAL PROTECTION AND LABOR MINISTER Monika Navickiene attending an informal meeting of the EU's Employment and Social Affairs Council (EPSCO) in Belgium.
FOREIGN MINISTER Gabrielius Landsbergis to meet with his Romanian and Polish counterparts and the Greek defense minister; to hold a joint press conference with the Romanian foreign minister at 11.40 p.m.
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Lithuania records no illegal border crossings from Belarus for 10th straight day
VILNIUS, Jan 11, BNS – Lithuanian border guards recorded no attempts to cross into the country from Belarus illegally for the tenth day in a row on Wednesday, the State Border Guard Service (SBGS) said on Thursday morning.
Latvia reported five attempts at illegal border crossings on Wednesday, and ten irregular migrants were not allowed into Poland on Tuesday, according to the latest available information.
The SBGS notes that no attempts to enter Lithuania from Belarus illegally have been recorded so far this year.
Since the start of the migration crisis, there has been only one longer period when no foreign nationals attempted to cross the Lithuanian border illegally. It lasted for 12 consecutive days between February 18 and March 1 last year.
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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Polish, Romanian foreign ministers to come to Vilnius ahead of Snow Meeting
VILNIUS, Jan 11, BNS – Foreign Ministers Radoslaw Sikorski of Poland and Luminita Odobescu of Romania are coming to Vilnius on Thursday ahead of the annual Snow Meeting of foreign and security policy experts.
The ministers are to meet with their Lithuanian counterpart Gabrielius Landsbergis in the capital on Thursday.
The meeting between Landsbergis and Poland's new top diplomat will focus on strengthening regional security, long-term support for Ukraine and tightening sanctions against Russia and Belarus, the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry has said in a press release.
The Lithuanian and Romanian ministers will discuss common European security trends and prospects, and possible responses to emerging challenges, as well as support for 'Kyiv's accession to NATO, and the European integration of Ukraine, Moldova and other countries, it said.
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Economy minister, Swiss defense start-up to discuss drone production in Lithuania
VILNIUS, Jan 11, BNS – Lithuanian Economy and Innovation Minister Ausrine Armonaite on Thursday is presenting the government's plans to beef up the country's defense industry to the Swiss defense industry startup Unmanned Defense Systems (UDS).
At their meeting, Armonaite and the UDS founders will discuss the prospects for manufacturing the company's unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in Lithuania, the Economy and Innovation Ministry has said in a press release.
"The famous Catfish Target drone developed by UDS has been successfully used in battles in Ukraine, including the fight for the legendary Snake Island, and has received positive feedback from the Ukrainian Armed Forces," it said.
The startup also produces other drones, including a reconnaissance UAV and a mapping UAV for civilian use.
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Lithuanian Agriculture Council decides to continue protests
VILNIUS, Jan 11, BNS - The Lithuanian Agriculture Council has decided to continue farmers' protests that took place on Monday as a new round of protests is planned for late January.
"Executing the will of its members, the Lithuanian Agriculture Council has no choice but to start the second stage of protests when agricultural machinery will be brought to Vilnius. This action will require maximum concentration and effort from our farming community," the Lithuanian Agriculture Council said in a statement on Thursday.
Its chair Ignas Hofmanas told the public radio LRT on Thursday that farmers plan to gather in Vilnius on January 23-26.
On Monday, farmers across Lithuania lit bonfires to protest against the government's agricultural policy, increased excise duties on liquefied petroleum gas, the restoration of perennial meadows, and called for the resolution of the dairy crisis and other problems.
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Lithuanian justice minister warns against populism in discussion about Russian schools
VILNIUS, Jan 11, BNS – Justice Minister Ewelina Dobrowolska said on Thursday that minority education in the country is facing problems, but they must be deal with by finding ways to help Lithuanian citizens obtain quality education rather than by closing schools.
"If we talk about national minority schools, whether Russian or Polish, there are challenges in terms of quality, exam performance, enrolment and teaching the Lithuanian language," Dobrowolska told the Ziniu Radijas radio station.
"I do wish there was no populism and I'd very much like to see education experts sitting down and discussing how to help our citizens," she added.
The minister said that both national and international student achievement surveys indicate poorer results in schools in the regions and in national minority schools, but that addressing this issue requires a strategic vision rather than just "saying that we are replacing the schools of one national minority with schools in a different language".
She also noted that minority issues are usually brought into the spotlight in election years to mobilize voters.
Education, Science and Sport Minister Gintautas Jakstas last week reignited the debate on Russian schools by saying that Lithuania should consider following the lead of Estonia and Latvia and scrap Russian-language education.
Jakstas says that national minority schools teaching in the languages of EU countries or countries friendly to Lithuania could remain open.
The ministry plans to draft a proposal on phasing out Russian schools in the coming weeks.
The Department of National Minorities said last week that it did not support proposals to eliminate Russian as the language of instruction.
The department believes that marginalizing one ethnic group would do more harm than good to the state and "destroy the structure of a multiethnic society that has been built over three decades".
The discussion on Russian schools resurfaced after an incident where teenagers attending a Russian school fired a pneumatic gun at a classmate because he said he was against the war in Ukraine.
However, Jakstas urges against linking the renewed discussion on national minority schools to this incident.
By Milena Andrukaitytė
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Lithuanian economy minister, defense start-up to discuss drone production (corrects)
corrects the headline, lead to say that the startup is Lithuanian
VILNIUS, Jan 11, BNS – Economy and Innovation Minister Ausrine Armonaite on Thursday is presenting the government's plans to beef up the defense industry to Lithuania's defense industry startup Unmanned Defense Systems (UDS).
At their meeting, Armonaite and the UDS founders will discuss the prospects for manufacturing the company's unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in Lithuania, the Economy and Innovation Ministry has said in a press release.
"The famous Catfish Target drone developed by UDS has been successfully used in battles in Ukraine, including the fight for the legendary Snake Island, and has received positive feedback from the Ukrainian Armed Forces," it said.
The startup also produces other drones, including a reconnaissance UAV and a mapping UAV for civilian use.
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Lithuania joins STRIKFORNATO HQ
VILNIUS, Jan 11, BNS – Lithuania has joined the Naval Striking and Support Forces NATO (STRIKFORNATO) HQ, the Lithuanian army said on Thursday.
Since 2020, Lithuania has been sending officers to the HQ as observers.
The accession ceremony was attended by Lithuania's Navy Commander captain (Navy) Giedrius Premeneckas, and he also met with Vice Admiral Thomas Ishee, commander of the U.S. 6th Fleet, during the event. The two officers discussed the security situation in the Baltic Sea region and prospects for further cooperation.
Headquartered in Oeiraz, Portugal, STRIKFORNATO was established in 2012 after 13 NATO countries, including Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United US, signed a memorandum of understanding.
As part of deterrence and NATO's collective defense, the HQ ensures the planning and execution of joint naval operations, including anti-ballistic missile defense.
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Air defense rotation in NATO's east would be proper response to Russia – Lithuanian formin
VILNIUS, Jan 11, BNS – NATO's rotational air defense presence in the Black and Baltic Sea regions would be an appropriate response to the Russian threat, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said as he hosted his Romanian counterpart Luminita Odobescu in Vilnius on Thursday.
NATO allies agreed on such a model last June, but it has not yet been implemented. The Baltic countries are currently in discussions with countries that could deploy air systems to the region.
"I believe a rotation of air defense both in the Black Sea region and in the Baltic region would be an appropriate response to the Russian escalation that is already taking place," Landsbergis at a joint news conference with Odobescu.
A Russian drone crashed on Romanian territory during Moscow's attack on Ukraine's port infrastructure last December, following a similar incident in September. A Russian missile also entered Polish airspace in late December.
"Actions like the drone crashes, even if seemingly unintentional, are escalation. They would not be happening if Russia were not waging war against Ukraine," Lithuania's top diplomat said.
Odobescu said that such incidents show how serious the security situation is not only in Ukraine but also in the Black Sea region.
The Romanian minister underlined the importance of implementing NATO's Vilnius summit commitments in order to beef up security.
"One of these is related to security in the Black Sea region, but also with full implementation of regional plans and increased military presence in our region," she told the news conference.
On the eve of the Vilnius summit last July, NATO approved new regional defense plans reflecting changes in the Alliance's strategy.
Previously, the approach was that the Baltic countries should try to hold off an offensive until allied reinforcements can arrive to help them. The new plans aim to ensure that NATO is ready to fight back immediately.
Call for deal on new Russia sanctions
Landsbergis also stressed the need to agree on the strongest possible new package of sanctions against Russia before the second anniversary of the war in Ukraine in late February.
For her part, Odobescu said that her country will support Ukraine "as much as needed".
"Moreover, allowing Ukraine to achieve its objective according to its own choosing, rendering justice to the victims and fighting against impunity – all this remains a fundamental objective not only for Ukraine but also for us," she said.
Romania remains firm in its position that only Ukraine has the political and moral legitimacy to decide whether it wants to negotiate with Russia.
At their meeting, the two ministers also discussed Romania's efforts to increase its capacity for transporting Ukrainian grain, and measures to support Ukrainian refugees.
According to the Reuters news agency, Ukraine is one of the world's biggest grain exporters, and the Romanian port of Constanta has become Kyiv's largest alternative export route since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022.
By Greta Zulonaitė
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Demining coalition in Vilnius discusses Ukraine's needs, possible partner contributions
VILNIUS, Jan 11, BNS – The Lithuania-led demining coalition in assistance to Ukraine met in Vilnius on Thursday to discuss Kyiv's needs and partners' possible contribution, the Lithuanian Defense Ministry said.
The meeting was attended by officials from Ukraine's Defense Ministry and the Defense Staff of the Armed Forces, and representatives from 19 partner countries, joined via video link by representatives from six other nations, it said in a press release.
"This demonstrates the unity of partner states not only in responding to urgent needs but also in supporting the long-term development of Ukraine's demining capabilities," said Vaidotas Urbelis, defense policy director at the Lithuanian Defense Ministry.
"This is the first working meeting where we sought to clarify Ukraine's needs in the area of demining and the specific contribution of each coalition partner state," he said.
The Lithuania-led coalition aims to pool and coordinate existing and future demining assistance to Ukraine from donor countries.
A support fund is being set up to achieve the coalition's objectives, including the acquisition of tools and equipment for demining Ukrainian territory.
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Upcoming events in Lithuania for Friday, January 12, 2024
VILNIUS, Jan 12, BNS – The following events are scheduled in Lithuania for Friday, January 12, 2024.
PRESIDENT Gitanas Nauseda to join "The Light of Victory" civic campaign at 8 a.m.; to meet with European Parliament President Roberta Metsola at 4.10 p.m.; to attend the ceremony of lighting commemorative bonfires at 5 p.m.
SPEAKER OF THE SEIMAS Viktorija Cmilyte-Nielsen to join "The Light of Victory" civic campaign at 8 a.m.; to take part in a solemn line-up of freedom defenders at 11 a.m.; to attend a meting of freedom defenders at noon; to attend the ceremony of lighting commemorative bonfires at 7 p.m.
PRIME MINISTER Ingrida Simonyte to meet with European Parliament President Roberta Metsola at 3.15 p.m., followed by a joint press conference at 3.50 p.m.
SOCIAL PROTECTION AND LABOR MINISTER Monika Navickiene attending an informal meeting of the EU's Employment and Social Affairs Council (EPSCO) in Belgium.
FOREIGN MINISTER Gabrielius Landsbergis to meet with European Parliament President Roberta Metsola.
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