LITHUANIA DAILY NEWS BULLETIN, June 6, 2023

LITHUANIA DAILY NEWS BULLETIN

IN THIS ISSUE:

Upcoming events in Lithuania for Tuesday, June 6, 2023
Lithuanian president to discuss Ukraine’s NATO membership perspective with B9 leaders
Five more Lithuanians have left to fight in Ukraine (media)
LRT Council to make 2nd attempt at electing Lithuanian public broadcaster's CEO
Lithuania reports 76 new COVID-19 cases, 1 death
Man detained in Vilnius after throwing bag of trash into Russian Embassy’s territory
Allegations must be investigated, but GIPL must operate continuously – Lithuanian advisor
Standard & Poor’s affirms Lithuania's credit rating at A+
Lithuania's Oro Navigacija to install new drone traffic management system for EUR 2.5 mln
Snap election proposed instead of "Golgotha for three ministers" – Lithuanian formin
Lithuanian president slams blowing up of dam in Ukraine as Russia’s war crime
Gas prices for households to fall by several cents from July in Lithuania
Lithuanian parlt votes down snap election proposal
Lithuanian president slams blowing up of dam in Ukraine as Russia’s war crime (expands)
Lithuanian parlt votes down snap election proposal (expands)
Coalition partners, HU-LCD presidium to decide on govt's fate – Landsbergis
I allowed myself a bit too much when speaking about resignation – Lithuanian PM
I allowed myself a bit too much when speaking about resignation – Lithuanian PM (expands)
Lithuanian president slams blowing up of dam in Ukraine as Russia’s war crime (further expands)
Lithuanian formin turns to ICC over Minsk's role in deporting Ukrainian children
Lithuania's LRT Council again fails to elect director general
Upcoming events in Lithuania for Wednesday, June 7, 2023

Upcoming events in Lithuania for Tuesday, June 6, 2023

VILNIUS, Jun 06, BNS – The following events are scheduled in Lithuania for Tuesday, June 6, 2023:

PRESIDENT Gitanas Nauseda to take part in a Bucharest Nine summit with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Bratislava.

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Lithuanian president to discuss Ukraine’s NATO membership perspective with B9 leaders

VILNIUS, Jun 06, BNS – Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda on Tuesday will leave for Bratislava to discuss Ukraine’s NATO membership perspective and the strengthening of the eastern flank of the Alliance with the leaders of the so-called Bucharest Nine (B9) countries.

“I have no doubt that all countries will agree that Ukraine's place is in NATO and that the political path for membership must be defined at the Vilnius summit,” Kestutis Budrys, Lithuanian president’s adviser on national security issues, told BNS.

Ukraine says it understands that it will not be admitted to the Alliance while the war continues, but wants the allies to clearly define the path to membership.

According to Budrys, "all the intensity is just beginning" in preparing the wording of the Vilnius summit declaration.

The leaders of nine countries meeting in Bratislava will also talk about the strengthening of NATO’s eastern flank, including the objective to transform NATO's Baltic air policing mission into a defense one.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg will also attend the meeting on Tuesday.

Nauseda will also express the expectation that delegations from 32 allies will come to the Vilnius summit in July.

The B9 is a political cooperation platform of nine Central and Eastern European countries for strengthening the Euro-Atlantic security.

By Augustas Stankevičius

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Five more Lithuanians have left to fight in Ukraine (media)

VILNIUS, Jun 06, BNS – Five more Lithuanians have left to fight in Ukraine, which continues to resist Russia’s invasion, and have already reached a military unit, the 15min news portal reported on Tuesday.

According to Laurynas Baltrunas, a representative of the Lithuanian Legion, which handled the selection and preparations, all five have military training: have completed compulsory initial military service, served in the Lithuanian Armed Forces, national defense system forces or were part of the combat riflemen.

The Lithuanians have joined the International Legion of Territorial Defense of Ukraine.

According to the portal, up to 20 Lithuanians are serving in Ukraine at any one time, and the number varies.

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LRT Council to make 2nd attempt at electing Lithuanian public broadcaster's CEO

VILNIUS, Jun 06, BNS – The LRT Council on Tuesday will make the second attempt at electing the next director general of the Lithuanian public broadcaster.

Those vying for the post are Monika Garbaciauskaite-Budriene, the incumbent who is seeking a second term in office, and Aistis Zabarauskas, a communications strategist.

These candidates were the top contenders in the first selection, which took place in March but ended in failure as each of them received six votes from the LRT Council members.

At least seven members of the 12-strong LRT Council have to vote in favor of a candidate for him or her to be selected for the job.

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Lithuania reports 76 new COVID-19 cases, 1 death

VILNIUS, Jun 06, BNS – Lithuania has recorded 76 new coronavirus infections and one death from COVID-19 over the past 24 hours, official statistics showed on Tuesday morning.

The 14-day primary infection rate has edged down to 24.2 cases per 100,000 people, with the seven-day percentage of positive tests at 7.5 percent.

The number of COVID-19 patients in hospitals now stands at 44, including one ICU case.

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

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

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

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Man detained in Vilnius after throwing bag of trash into Russian Embassy’s territory

VILNIUS, Jun 06, BNS – A man who threw a bag with trash into the territory of the Russian Embassy was detained in Vilnius, police reported on Tuesday.

The man, born in 2002, was detained a little after 10 p.m. on Monday.

The police have collected evidence under a Criminal Code article providing for liability for breach of public order.

The Police Department did not indicate the specific embassy in its summary of events but its spokeswoman, Revita Janaviciute, told BNS that the incident took place at Russia’s diplomatic mission.

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Allegations must be investigated, but GIPL must operate continuously – Lithuanian advisor

VILNIUS, Jun 06, BNS – Allegations that Russian fittings might have been used during the construction of the strategically important Gas Interconnection Poland–Lithuania (GIPL), launched in May 2022, must be investigated, a presidential advisor says after the Lithuanian news website 15min.lt found in cooperation with its partners from several countries that Russian parts might have been used.

Nevertheless, it's important to ensure that the pipeline operates uninterrupted, Jaroslav Neverovic, an advisor to Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda on environment and infrastructure matters, underlined.

"If there are any problems with standards, certificates, and there are suspicions, that information must be checked, investigated, and appropriate decisions must be made," Neverovic told the Ziniu Radijas news radio on Tuesday.

"This is a strategic project with significance not only for Lithuania but also for Poland (...). We believe we need to continue ensuring that this pipeline continues operating uninterruptedly, and those challenges regarding certificates, standards and possibly fittings, if they do not meet them (standards – BNS), the company itself (Amber Grid, Lithuania's gas transmission system operator,- BNS) will discuss decisions and make them," the presidential advisor added.

In his words, Amber Grid should also make plans for the replacement of all the GIPL fittings that do not meet the standards and the highest requirements.

In July 2022, the Vilnius Regional Prosecutor's Office launched a pre-trial investigation into document forgery and fraud during the GIPL construction, and the project's contracting authorities, Lithuania's state-owned natural gas transmission system operator Amber Grid and its shareholder Epso-G, are drawing up crisis management plans, 15min reported earlier on Monday.

The ongoing investigation now centers around the main version that Alvora found several European companies to use their quality certificates to disguise the fact that fittings were in fact made by and bought from ChelPipe, a Russian company, which Alvora denies.

By Giedrius Gaidamavičius

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Standard & Poor’s affirms Lithuania's credit rating at A+

VILNIUS, Jun 06, BNS – International credit rating agency S&P Global Ratings has left Lithuania's long-term borrowing rating unchanged at A+ with a negative outlook, the Finance Ministry said on Tuesday.

According to the ministry’s press release, the agency’s experts took a positive view of Lithuania’s fiscal policy, the country’s membership in the euro area and NATO, as well as a relatively stable and low level of public debt in the latest agency’s report on Lithuania.

The ministry said that the agency’s experts had assessed Lithuania’s situation as stable and therefore decided not to take any rating action, and to issue a report instead.

“Over the past few weeks, three credit rating agencies have affirmed Lithuania’s borrowing ratings. They base their decisions on the country’s fiscal and macroeconomic policies and low level of public debt. This indicates that the agencies do not see any significant changes at the moment and consider the country’s situation as stable,” the press release quoted Finance Minister Gintare Skaiste as saying.

In their report, Standard & Poor’s analysts take note of the persistently low level of public debt and expect Lithuania’s budget deficit to widen to 2.5 percent of GDP this year, from 0.6 percent last year, before going down to 1.1 percent by 2026. Meanwhile, public debt is projected to somewhat exceed 30 percent of GDP this year while inflation is seen moderating to 8.7 percent in 2023.

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Lithuania's Oro Navigacija to install new drone traffic management system for EUR 2.5 mln

VILNIUS, Jun 06, BNS – Oro Navigacija (Air Navigation), Lithuania's state-owned air navigation service provider, will install a new traffic management system for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) at a cost of 2.5 million euros by the summer of 2024, allowing drone users to use the airspace more easily.

Oro Navigacija said it had signed a contract with Austria’s Frequentis to jointly deploy the U-Space system, which would provide general information, flight confirmation, traffic information and other services to UAV users via a mobile application.

“Given the increased number of drones, it is important to have a system in place that allows to monitor the airspace in real time, obtain information about the flights of unmanned aerial vehicles, and control them – to approve them or grant them permission to fly," a press release from Oro Navigacija quoted its CEO, Saulius Batavicius, as saying.

The new system will allow to assess weather conditions, see other traffic participants in real time, reserve a flight area, and reduce potential negative impacts on the environment and privacy.

In addition, the new system will integrate emergency services, commercial enterprises and institutions that may also be concerned about drone traffic information.

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Snap election proposed instead of "Golgotha for three ministers" – Lithuanian formin

VILNIUS, Jun 06, BNS – Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis, who leads the ruling conservative Homeland Union-Lithuanian Christian Democrats, says the proposal to hold an early parliament election is an attempt "to find a common political response to the unprecedented situation after the flawed accounting of the funds allocated for politicians' activities raised questions about the foundations of the whole political system in Lithuania".

"To achieve a higher standard than law enforcement's indulgence or allegations, I invite you to support the political system's reset through the renewal of voter confidence. So you have a very simple choice: a general amnesty or a reset through voter confidence," Landsbergis told lawmakers on Tuesday when presenting a bill on holding a span election on September 10.

The HU-LCD is proposing a snap election in response to media investigations into possible misuse of funds given to local government politicians for their office needs.

Criticizing politicians' skeptical attitude towards an early election, Landsbergis said that "everybody is fine with a Golgotha for three ministers for everyone's receipt sins, or with Mindaugas Sinkevicius, the hero of the story of two TV sets who has again secured backing of mayors (the Social Democrat mayor of Jonava who has recently been reelected as chairman of the Association of Local Authorities in Lithuania - BNS)".

"Some people within the opposition or close to it may have wanted easy answers to difficult questions: the ritual sacrifice of lambs without going into the details or the regulations that were in force, or any other circumstances in retrospect, they wanted three heads in the government and everything is fine, everything is lawful, let's continue working. The Seimas supposedly has nothing to do with this, even though some people bought Porsche tires, using money given to local councilors for officials activities, or used parliamentary funds to by flowers from their sister for 400 euros“, Landsbergis said.

In response to allegations she might have misused funds, Education Minister Jurgita Siugzdiniene, representing the HU-LCD, resigned in May. Some politicians then also demanded the resignation of her fellow party member Finance Minister Gintare Skaiste and Culture Minister Simonas Kairys of the Liberal Movement, also part of the ruling coalition.

The ruling coalition partners and some members of the opposition are skeptical about the early election initiative, and HU-LCD members are also split on the issue. Speaking on Monday after a meeting of the HU-LCD presidium, Landsbergis confirmed that there would be no obligation for the HU-LCD political group in the Seimas to support the early election motion.

Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte has said earlier she will resign in the middle of July, if the early election bid failed to garner support. This would also mean the resignation of the entire Cabinet.

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Lithuanian president slams blowing up of dam in Ukraine as Russia’s war crime

VILNIUS, Jun 06, BNS – Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda has slammed the blowing up of a major dam in Ukraine as a war crime and called to hold the Kremlin to account.

“Today we witness an unprecedented Russian attack against Ukrainian civilian infrastructure. The destruction of a major dam is a crime of war that directly threatens thousands of people,” he said in a Twitter post on Tuesday.

“Russia must be held accountable for it,” Nauseda wrote in comments about the blowing up of the Kakhovka dam sitting on the Dnipro river.

Images circulating on social media this morning show a massive breach in the dam, with water already unleashed across the war zone and flooding downstream in the direction of Kherson.

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis stressed that “terrorists do not stop unless they are stopped”.

“They don't negotiate with anything except force. They cause huge catastrophes without regret. I'll say it again: lasting peace in Europe requires a Ukrainian victory both on the battlefield and in court. Nothing else will work,” he said in a Twitter post.

Ukraine on Tuesday accused Russia’s forces of deliberately blowing the dam up. However, Russian officials countered that the Kakhovka dam was damaged by Ukrainian military strikes in the contested area.

The fallout could have broad consequences: flooding homes, streets and businesses downstream; depleting water levels upstream that help cool Europe’s largest nuclear power plant; and draining supplies of drinking water to the south in Crimea, which Russia illegally annexed.

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Gas prices for households to fall by several cents from July in Lithuania

VILNIUS, Jun 06, BNS – Lithuania's National Energy Regulatory Council on Tuesday approved plans to cut natural gas prices for households by 4-5 cents per cubic meter for the second half of the year.

Following the approval of the tariffs submitted by Lithuania's gas supplier Ignitis, the gas tariff for the first consumer group that uses the lowest amount of gas, will amount to 1.36 euros with the state compensation as of July 1,compared to the existing 1.4 euros.

The second group including households heating their homes with gas –will see the gas price drop to 87 cents, from 92 cents, and the third consuming the largest amount of gas ill see their tariff go down to 83 cents, from 88 cents.

Last week, NERC chairman Renatas Pocius said a drop of gas prices on the market was behind lower gas tariffs.

Energy Minister Dainius Kreivys said earlier that despite lower gas prices on the market, households still state compensation for natural gas as gas prices for the second half of this year still include more expensive gas purchased through hedging transactions and also other constituents.

Last week, the Lithuanian government backed a proposal to extend the existing state natural gas price compensation for households for the second half of the year. The compensation will amount to 63 cents per cubic meter, instead of the existing 99 cents, and will require 54.48 million euros from unused state borrowings in the first half of the year.

By Giedrius Gaidamavičius

Editor: Roma Pakėnienė

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Lithuanian parlt votes down snap election proposal

VILNIUS, Jun 06, BNS – The Seimas of Lithuania on Tuesday voted down a proposal to hold a snap parliament election on September 10 after 66 lawmakers voted against, 61 was in favor and eight MPs abstained.

Presenting the bill earlier in the day, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis, who leads the ruling conservative Homeland Union-Lithuanian Christian Democrats, said a snap election was needed to reset the political system.

The HU-LCD proposed a snap election in response to media investigations into possible misuse of funds given to local government politicians for their office needs.

Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte has said earlier she will resign in the middle of July, if the early election bid failed to garner support. This would also mean the resignation of the entire Cabinet.

By Milena Andrukaitytė

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Lithuanian president slams blowing up of dam in Ukraine as Russia’s war crime (expands)

VILNIUS, Jun 06, BNS – Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda has slammed the blowing up of a major dam in Ukraine as a war crime and called to hold the Kremlin to account.

“Russia must be held accountable for it,” Nauseda wrote in comments about the blowing up of the Kakhovka dam sitting on the Dnipro river.

Images circulating on social media this morning show a massive breach in the dam, with water already unleashed across the war zone and flooding downstream in the direction of Kherson.

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis stressed that “terrorists do not stop unless they are stopped”.

Viktorija Cmilyte-Nielsen, Speaker of the Seimas of Lithuania, said that fear and desperation were forcing Russia “to commit new war crimes”.

“This time, copying Hitler's actions and no longer hiding, it is the blowing up of the Kakhovka dam. Terrified that a Ukrainian counter-attack would be particularly painful, the Kremlin seems to have decided to leave no war crimes uncommitted,” she said in a Facebook post.

Cmilyte-Nielsen stressed that Russia would have to answer for those actions.

"The current decisions of the Russian government and the indifference of the public to war crimes in Ukraine will lead to long and painful decades of guilt", she stressed.

The Lithuanian parliamentary speaker said she had contacted her Ukrainian counterpart, Ruslan Stefanchuk, chairman of Verkhovna Rada.

“We will react with all the means we can realize, we will call on powerful Western countries to help Ukraine win as soon as possible. Helping Ukraine to defend itself is the task of yesterday,” she added.

By Augustas Stankevičius

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Lithuanian parlt votes down snap election proposal (expands)

The motion failed to receive backing from part of the ruling conservative Homeland Union – Lithuanian Christian Democrats who initiated it as 34 members of the party's group in the Seimas voted in favor, 14 were against and two MPs abstained.

The other two coalition partners, the Liberal Movement and the Freedom Party, were unanimously against.

16 members of the opposition Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union voted in favor as they had been mandated by the party's leadership to do so. But one member voted against and one abstained.

The majority of the opposition Social Democrats voted in favor as nine voted in favor and two against, while all one member of the opposition group of Democrats "For Lithuania" was in favor and all other 14 members voted against.

Eight members of the Labor Party's group voted against a snap election, and six members of the non-attached group voted in favor, two were two against and two abstained.

A simple majority would have been sufficient to approve the motion during the initial hearing, and 85 votes would have needed for its adoption.

The HU-LCD proposed a snap election in response to media investigations into possible misuse of funds given to local government politicians for their office needs.

Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte has said earlier she will resign in the middle of July, if the early election bid failed to garner support. This would also mean the resignation of the entire Cabinet.

By Milena Andrukaitytė

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Coalition partners, HU-LCD presidium to decide on govt's fate – Landsbergis

VILNIUS, Jun 06, BNS – The coalition partners, the presidium of the ruling conservative Homeland Union – Lithuanian Christian Democrats and Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte's decision will decide the Cabinet's fate, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis, who leads the HU-LCD, said on Tuesday after the parliament voted down the HU-LCD's initiated motion to hold a snap election on September 10.

"The presidium's discussion is very important, and also the path the party and the coalition partners see. We can see that we have a little more than a year to go before next year's election, and we can also see what the expectations are, what the possibilities are, and what should be done," Landsbergis told reporters at the Seimas on Tuesday.

"We have listened to the government's report, and in fact, there were no major criticism or demands for change from the opposition, or great dissatisfaction. A number of committees have unanimously approved the government's report, which means there's also a consensus on the direction," he said.

By Jūratė Skėrytė

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I allowed myself a bit too much when speaking about resignation – Lithuanian PM

VILNIUS, Jun 06, BNS – Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte says she allowed herself a little too much when she said earlier she would resign if the parliament voted down an early election motion, adding that the final decision will be made by the presidium of the ruling conservative Homeland Union – Lithuanian Christian Democrats.

"I probably allowed myself a bit too much when I said that because I am not in the government on my own, but the presidium has made the decision to consider this issue, so the presidium will consider this issue in any case," Simonyte told reporters at the Seimas on Tuesday.

By Milena Andrukaitytė

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I allowed myself a bit too much when speaking about resignation – Lithuanian PM (expands)

Earlier in the day, the Seimas of Lithuania voted down a proposal to hold a snap parliament election on September 10, initiated by the HU-LCD, after 66 lawmakers voted against, 61 was in favor and eight MPs abstained.

The prime minister earlier vowed to resign in the middle of July, if the early election motion were voted down. This would also mean the resignation of the entire Cabinet.

"I am not personally in the government, I am delegated by the party, and my decisions, whatever they may be, will still have to be discussed by the presidium. When the presidium discusses it, then I will announce my decision," the prime minister said, explaining the change in her position on Tuesday.

Asked whether she wanted to remain prime minister, Simonyte said: "I am working".

By Milena Andrukaitytė

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Lithuanian president slams blowing up of dam in Ukraine as Russia’s war crime (further expands)

(Expanded version: adds the prime ministers comment, new paras 13-14)

VILNIUS, Jun 06, BNS – Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda has slammed the blowing up of a major dam in Ukraine as a war crime and called to hold the Kremlin to account.

“Russia must be held accountable for it,” Nauseda wrote in comments about the blowing up of the Kakhovka dam sitting on the River Dnipro.

Images circulating on social media this morning show a massive breach in the dam, with water already unleashed across the war zone and flooding downstream in the direction of Kherson.

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis stressed that “terrorists do not stop unless they are stopped”.

Viktorija Cmilyte-Nielsen, Speaker of the Seimas of Lithuania, said that fear and desperation were forcing Russia “to commit new war crimes”.

Cmilyte-Nielsen stressed that Russia would have to answer for those actions.

"The current decisions of the Russian government and the indifference of the public to war crimes in Ukraine will lead to long and painful decades of guilt", she stressed.

The Lithuanian parliamentary speaker said she had contacted her Ukrainian counterpart, Ruslan Stefanchuk, chairman of Verkhovna Rada.

For her part, Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte says Russia's actions only encourage countries to provide additional support to Ukraine.

"This way, in fact, Russia is only strengthening support to Ukraine. I don't know if they take this into account when making their decisions, but apparently they are so full of hatred that people just don't care," she told reporters at the Seimas on Tuesday, adding that Russia had many times demonstrated cruelty and inhumanity during the war.

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Lithuanian formin turns to ICC over Minsk's role in deporting Ukrainian children

VILNIUS, Jun 06, BNS – Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis has written to Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court Karim A. A. Khan regarding Belarus' role in helping Russia commit war crimes.

To ensure full accountability for the war crimes and other most serious crimes in connection with Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, "actions of Russia’s accomplices, which are aiding and abetting Russia in its war crimes, should also be taken into account, and their role in contributing to these crimes brought to light", the letter reads.

Lithuania's top diplomat also forwarded to the ICC prosecutor information gathered by Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya on the involvement of the Belarusian political elite and state-owned enterprises in the relocation of children from Ukraine to the territory of Belarus, the Foreign Ministry said.

Lithuania turned to the International Criminal Court as early as February 2020, highlighting the Belarusian regime's apparent involvement in Russia's war against Ukraine.

Thousands of children have been illegally removed from Ukraine since the start of Russia's large-scale war against Ukraine, and the vast majority of them have been taken from the occupied southern and eastern regions of Ukraine. According to the Ukrainian Prosecutor General's Office, some 15,000 children have been abducted and taken from the occupied territories by the Russians.

Earlier this year, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova, Russia's ombudsperson for the protection of children's rights, for the illegal deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia.

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Lithuania's LRT Council again fails to elect director general

VILNIUS, Jun 06, BNS - The Council of Lithuania's public broadcaster LRT on Tuesday again failed to elect its director general after both candidates – incumbent Director General Monika Garbaciauskaite-Budriene and Aistis Zabarauskas – each received the same number of votes, Eugenijus Valatka, chair of the 12-member LRT Council said.

"Unfortunately, no candidate received the required seven votes," Valatka told reporters, adding that two votes were held on Tuesday and in both cases the two candidates received six votes each.

On June 20, the LRT Council will hold a meeting to decide on the announcement of a new competition for the position, Valatka said, adding that the new competition could be announced in September.

Garbaciauskaite-Budriene has led the LRT for the past five years.

Garbaciauskaite-Budriene and Zabarauskas were also the strongest contenders in the first selection that took place in March. The Council then also failed to elect the director general after receiving the same number of votes each.

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Upcoming events in Lithuania for Wednesday, June 7, 2023

VILNIUS, Jun 07, BNS – The following events are scheduled in Lithuania for Wednesday, June 7, 2023:

SPEAKER OF THE SEIMAS Viktorija Cmilyte-Nielsen to meet with Tony Murphy, president of the European Court of Auditors, at 10 a.m.; to have working lunch with Karen Ellemann, secretary general of the Nordic Council of Ministers, at noon; interview with the delfi.lt news website at 4.15 p.m.; to attend an event to mark the US Independence Day at 5 p.m.

THE CABINET to hold its regular meeting and sitting at 1 p.m.

JUSTICE MINISTER Ewelina Dobrowolska to attend an official reception at the US Embassy in Lithuanian at 4.30 p.m.

FOREIGN MINISTER Gabrielius Landsbergis to attend a meeting of the OECD Council at Ministerial Level in Paris.

INTERIOR MINISTER Agne Bilotaite, AGRICULTURE MINISTER Kestutis navickas and Rolandas KIskis, head of the Financial Crime Investigation Service, to discus ways to prevent the embezzlement of EU funds at 11 a.m.; to attend an official reception at the US Embassy in Lithuanian at 4.30 p.m.

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Jun 07 2023

LITHUANIA DAILY NEWS BULLETIN

IN THIS ISSUE:

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

Upcoming events in Lithuania for Monday, May 22, 2023

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Lithuanian border guards have prevented around 20,400 people from crossing in from Belarus since August 3, 2021, when they were given the right to turn away irregular migrants. The number includes repeated attempts by the same people to cross the border.

The SBGS says that illegal migration to Lithuania and the EU is being facilitated by Belarusian officials.

Almost 4,200 irregular migrants crossed into Lithuania from Belarus illegally in 2021. However, the vast majority of them fled Lithuania once they were allowed to move freely.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Azerbaijan's president to pay official visit to Lithuania

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Lithuanian foreign minister to meet with EU counterparts in Brussels

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Lithuania defense minister to meet with Northern Group counterparts

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

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

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

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

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Lithuania reports 9 new COVID-19 cases, no deaths

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

By Valdas Pryšmantas

Editor: Roma Pakėnienė

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NATO jets in Baltics scrambled twice over Russian aircraft last week

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The two leaders also discussed regional issues and energy.

Nauseda visited Azerbaijan in May 2022.

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

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HU-LCD leader suggests holding early parlt election in September

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

By Augustas Stankevičius, Milena Andrukaitytė

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New batch of 50 JLTVs arrives in Lithuania

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

By Milena Andrukaitytė

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Lithuanian PM accepts educmin's resignation

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Upcoming events in Lithuania for Tuesday, May 23, 2023

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

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

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

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

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

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May 23 2023

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