LITHUANIA DAILY NEWS BULLETIN

IN THIS ISSUE:

1. Upcoming events in Lithuania for Wednesday, February 1, 2023
2. Two irregular migrants turned away on Lithuania's border with Belarus
3. Lithuania launches HPV vaccination for 11y boys
4. Lithuania's parlt speaker sees grounds for probe into alleged unlawful police surveillance
5. Lithuania reports 351 new COVID-19 cases, 3 deaths
6. Lithuania's society is poisoned by Russian culture – PM
7. Polish could replace Russian in Lithuanian schools – PM
8. Some 72 pct of Lithuanians approve of EU economic recovery plan – Eurobarometer
9. Bartosevicius suspected of sexually abusing 4 minors while he was Lithuanian MP 
10. Bartosevicius suspected of sexually abusing 4 minors while he was Lithuanian MP (expands)
11. Russia's repressions only encourage Lithuania to help declared "enemies" – formin
12. Highest number of applications for temporary residence in Lithuania lodged in Turkey
13. Lithuanian govt tightens citizenship procedures
14. Vilimiene named new director of Lithuanian natl opera and ballet theater
15. Upcoming events in Lithuania for Thursday, February 2, 2023

Upcoming events in Lithuania for Wednesday, February 1, 2023

VILNIUS, Feb 01, BNS – The following events are scheduled in Lithuania for Wednesday, February 1, 2023:

PRESIDENT Gitanas Nauseda to receive credentials from the incoming Greek ambassador at 1 p.m.; to receive credentials from the incoming ambassador of Kazakhstan at 2 p.m.; to receive credentials from the incoming ambassador of the Republic of Korea at 3 p.m.

SPEAKER OF THE SEIMAS Viktorija Cmilyte-Nielsen  to meet with Korean Ambassador Hoonmin Lim at 3.40 p.m.

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

DEFENSE MINISTER Arvydas Anusauskas to meet with the Ukrainian ambassador at 9 a.m.; to meet with the Czech defense minister at 4.30 p.m.

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

VILNIUS, Feb 01, BNS – Lithuanian border guards have in the past 24 hours turned away two migrants attempting to cross into the country from Belarus illegally, the State Border Guard Service (SBGS) said on Wednesday morning.

Latvia reported 23 attempts at illegal border crossings on Tuesday, and seven irregular migrants were not allowed into Poland on Monday, according to the latest available information.

A total of 219 regular migrants have been barred from entering Lithuania from Belarus at non-designated places so far this year.

Lithuanian border guards have prevented over 19,500 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.

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Lithuania launches HPV vaccination for 11y boys

VILNIUS, Feb 01, BNS – Lithuania starts vaccinating 11-year-old boys against the human papillomavirus (HPV) from February 1.

Since 2016, only 11-year-old girls have been vaccinated against HPV in Lithuania, according to the preventive vaccination calendar for children, to reduce cases of cervical cancer.

This type of vaccination is done in around 60 countries.

The Health Ministry says that countries with a high HPV vaccine uptake report a drop in the number of pre-cancerous cases. 

HPV infection is a viral infection that is most commonly transmitted sexually through direct contact with an infected person. It's the most common STI in the world. There are currently more than 200 known types of HPV.

HPV types have cancer-causing properties. Some of them pose a low risk of developing cancer, others pose a high risk. People can be infected with more than one type of HPV at once.

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Lithuania's parlt speaker sees grounds for probe into alleged unlawful police surveillance

VILNIUS, Feb 01, BNS – Speaker of the Lithuanian Seimas Viktorija Cmilyte-Nielsen sees grounds for a pre-trial investigation into allegations of unlawful criminal intelligence against the police. However, she does not back the idea of setting up a special temporary parliamentary commission.

"Judging from the information that I and fellow political group leaders have received, which has also been made public, it seems that there's certainly room and a need for a pre-trial investigation because the allegations are very serious," the speaker told the Ziniu Radijas news radio on Wednesday.

"As far as the Seimas is concerned, I think we should, first of all, make use of the tools that we already have as we have a special Criminal Intelligence Commission within the Committee on Legal Affairs. We still need to assess any need for the parliament to investigate anything through the instrument of a temporary commission, as some members of the opposition are suggesting," she said.

Cmilyte-Nielsen believes a parliamentary investigation commission should only be involved "when there's a certain political aspect to one issue or another".

"The Committee on Legal Affairs has already forwarded that letter to prosecutors, and we are apparently waiting for a reaction from them," the Seimas speaker said.

Algimantas Martinkus, a former chief investigator from the Lithuanian Criminal Police Bureau who was dismissed for various irregularities, has asked Cmilyte-Nielsen to initiate the establishment of a parliamentary commission to investigate allegedly unlawful criminal intelligence investigations.

He's also asking for an investigation into what he considers to be unlawful actions by some former and current police leaders, including Rolandas Kiskis, the former head of the Lithuanian Criminal Police Bureau, his former deputy Andzejus Roginskis, Elanas Jablonskas, the former head of the Immunity Board, as well Saulius Briginas, incumbent deputy chief of the Lithuanian Criminal Police Bureau, and high-ranking officers Gintaras Gecenas and Gintas Venclovas.

On Tuesday, Martinkus accused the former high-ranking officers of ordering him to place a number of persons under unlawful surveillance. The persons included the then commander of the country's State Border Guard Service Renatas Pozela who now serves as police commissioner general, the then Government Chancellor Algirdas Stoncaitis, the then Kaunas County Police chief Darius Zukauskas, MP and later Environment Minister Kestutis Mazeika, MP Arturas Skardžius and others.

Moreover, Martinkus also alleged that Roginskis told him to falsely link Jonas Piroznikas, the head of the Palanga Rescue Station, with a criminal group in Kaunas to initiate criminal intelligence.

The Police Department rejects Martinkus' allegations and says they "do not correspond to reality". The police point out that Martinkus was dismissed for leaking information to persons linked to organized crime, as well as for breaching the existing criminal intelligence legislation, activities and procedures governing criminal intelligence and the use of police information.

By Ignas Jačauskas

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Lithuania reports 351 new COVID-19 cases, 3 deaths

VILNIUS, Feb 01, BNS – Lithuania has recorded 351 new coronavirus infections and three deaths from COVID-19 over the past 24 hours, official statistics showed on Wednesday morning.

Of the new cases, 235 were primary, 99 were secondary and 17 were tertiary.

The number of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 now stands at 118, including seven ICU cases.

The 14-day primary infection rate has edged up to 122.3 cases per 100,000 people, but the seven-day percentage of positive tests has ticked down to 19.7 percent.

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

More than 1.17 million people in Lithuania have tested positive with COVID-19 at least once.

Some 69.7 percent of people in the country have received at least one coronavirus vaccine jab so far.

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Lithuania's society is poisoned by Russian culture – PM

VILNIUS, Feb 01, BNS – Lithuania's society is poisoned by Russian culture as it was too much emphasized during the Soviet era, Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte says, adding that it would be worthwhile to take a closer look at other cultures.

"I think we have certain intoxication with Russian culture in our society. I am not surprised by the reluctance to stage, listen, read or do anything else with it now," the prime minister told the Znad Wilii radio station on Wednesday, asked about the initiative not to use Russian authors' works in Lithuania.

"I don't think there's any compulsion in here, because, for example, I still think people should read Varlam Shalamov's Kolyma Tales now. This is my opinion, this is a book that impressed me very much", she said.

During the period of Soviet occupation, Lithuania's society was "fed with Russian culture" as the myth was being created that this culture was "somehow very, very great", which is why even now a part of the society tends to put it on a pedestal.

"Russian culture has clearly dominated the repertoires of our theaters, and elsewhere, and it seems to me that we have had this historical circumstance for a very long time mainly because we have talked little about other cultures, such as the Polish culture, the Swedish culture, the Ukrainian culture, the Spanish culture," the Lithuanian prime minister said.

In April, in response to the massacre of civilians by Russian troops in Ukraine, the Lithuanian Art Creators' Association called for an embargo on Russian culture and art in Lithuania until the end of the war in Ukraine.

Several Lithuanian theaters have already announced their decision to remove works by Russian authors from their repertoires.

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Polish could replace Russian in Lithuanian schools – PM

VILNIUS, Feb 01, BNS - The teaching of Russian as a second foreign language in Lithuanian schools could be replaced by Polish, Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte says.

"I am definitely in favor of more of Polish as a foreign language in schools," she told the Znad Wilii radio station on Wednesday.

She believes it should not be difficult to find Polish teachers as there are Polish schools in Lithuania where the number of schoolchildren is going down, and these teachers could move to Lithuanian schools.

"I would like children to have a better choice in schools, within our education system the responsible for, than Russian as now it's the only second foreign language we can teach because we simply don’t have teachers to teach other languages. I would be very much in favor of making Latvian, Polish, as the second foreign language, as accessible as possible," Simonyte said.

According to the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport, Russian is the most popular second foreign language in schools this school year, with almost 15,000 sixth-graders learning it.

Lithuanian education leaders have recommended that schools abandon Russian as a second foreign language.

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Some 72 pct of Lithuanians approve of EU economic recovery plan – Eurobarometer

VILNIUS, Feb 01, BNS – Seventy-two percent of Lithuanians agree that the principle of solidarity that underpins the EU's post-COVID-19 recovery plan, NextGenerationEU is a "good approach" for the bloc, according to the latest Eurobarometer survey. 

Sixty-six percent of respondents in Lithuania think that the recovery plan will have a positive impact on future generations, and 64 percent believe that it will lead to economic growth and new jobs. 

Sixty-one percent of Lithuanians selected "health" as an area that should be prioritized to receive EU support, 48 percent chose "energy, environmental issues and climate change", and 40 percent picked "employment and better working conditions". 

Sixty-eight percent of respondents agree that payments to member states under the plan should be conditional on the implementation of agreed reforms and investments.

Seventy-eight percent of Lithuanians think that the European Commission's REPowerEU plan to help member states achieve more energy independence from Russia is "a good thing". 

Almost 27,000 EU citizens, including 1,000 people in Lithuania, were polled online between December 7 and 13. 

 

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Bartosevicius suspected of sexually abusing 4 minors while he was Lithuanian MP 

VILNIUS, Feb 01, BNS – Kristijonas Bartosevicius is suspected of sexually abusing four minors while he served as a member of the Lithuanian parliament, the Prosecutor General's Office said on Wednesday.

Prosecutors have brought formal suspicions against Bartosevicius as part of their investigation under the Criminal Code's articles concerning sexual assault on a minor and a young child, and sexual molestation of a child.

"The available evidence from the pre-trial investigation suggests that the offences were committed while the suspect was a member of the Seimas," the office said in a press release. 

"At present, four persons, who were minors at the time, have been recognized as victims," it said. 

Bartosevicius, who resigned as MP last month, has been questioned, according to the press release. 

 

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Bartosevicius suspected of sexually abusing 4 minors while he was Lithuanian MP (expands)

VILNIUS, Feb 01, BNS – Kristijonas Bartosevicius is suspected of sexually abusing four minors while he served as a member of the Lithuanian parliament, the Prosecutor General's Office said on Wednesday.

Prosecutors have brought formal suspicions against Bartosevicius as part of their investigation under the Criminal Code's articles concerning sexual assault on a minor and a young child, and sexual molestation of a child.

"The available evidence from the pre-trial investigation suggests that the offences were committed while the suspect was a member of the Seimas," the office said in a press release. 

"At present, four persons, who were minors at the time, have been recognized as victims," it said. 

Bartosevicius, who has recently resigned as MP, has been questioned, according to the press release. 

The prosecutors would not comment on the suspect's position during the questioning. Bartosevicius has previously denied the allegations against him.

According to Wednesday's press release, the man is banned from leaving Lithuania and from communicating with the victims, and has had his documents taken.

"The suspect and his lawyer are prohibited from providing third parties with information about the investigation and its data so as to ensure the rights of the victims," it said. 

The prosecutors will provide no detailed information about the investigation, such as the circumstances, time and place of the suspected criminal offences, to "ensure the victims' right to confidentiality". 

The Prosecutor General's Office said a week ago that Prosecutor General Nida Grunskiene had written to Viktorija Cmilyte-Nielsen, speaker of the Seimas, to inform her that the pre-trial investigation had been launched and that it required "addressing the issue" of stripping Bartosevicius of his legal immunity from prosecution. 

The press release came a couple of hours after Bartosevicius confirmed that he was resigning as a member of the parliament "for personal reasons".  

The office said on Wednesday that Grunskiene adhered to the "principle of strict confidentiality" in her letter, only informing Cmilyte-Nielsen of the fact of the pre-trial investigation, the date on which it had been launched, and the articles of the Criminal Code under which it had been opened.

"Later, when the speaker of the Seimas asked whether MP Bartosevicius, who had publicly announced his decision to resign (...), was the same person mentioned in the letter, (...) a clarification was sent to her (...), in which the MP was named," it said. 

The Central Electoral Commission received Bartosevicius' statement of resignation by email at around 8 p.m. on January 20, while he was on a trip abroad, and revoked his mandate on January 24. 

The politician told reporters that it was a well-thought-out decision, rather than a spontaneous one, and that he decided to step down for health issues.

 

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Russia's repressions only encourage Lithuania to help declared "enemies" – formin

VILNIUS, Feb 01, BNS - Repressions only encourage Lithuania to help persecuted organizations and individuals, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said on Wednesday, commenting on Russian prosecutors' decision to declare the activities of the Lithuania-based Free Russia Forum undesirable.

"It's not the first organization, not the first persons granted asylum and the right to reside in Lithuania to be declared enemies or criminals in Russia. We have seen this trend and it does not change our position in any way. Quite the contrary, it further encourages us to help those people who chose Lithuania and asked for asylum here to be able to work and live freely without restrictions," Landsbergis told reporters on Wednesday before the Cabinet meeting.

The Russian Prosecutor General's Office earlier declared the activities of the Lithuanian-based Free Russia Forum as undesirable within the territory of Russia, according to the statement on the prosecution service's website.

It states that the activities of the Free Russia Forum "pose a threat to the constitutional order and security of the Russian Federation" and cites it as the reason why the decision was made "to declare the activities of the Lithuanian organization undesirable within the territory of the Russian Federation".

The Free Russia Forum holds a biannual Russian opposition conference in Vilnius. The organization was founded in March, 2016 by Garry Kasparov who is recognized as a "foreign agent" in Russia.

The Russian authorities have launched an unprecedented crackdown on the media and the opposition, which has further intensified since February, 2022 when President Vladimir Putin sent troops to Ukraine.

Russia adopted the law on "undesirable organizations" in 2015, giving the Prosecutor General's Office the right to label any foreign or international NGO if, in its opinion, the activities of these organizations threaten "the foundations of Russia's constitutional order, defense capabilities or security".

People face liability, and prosecution in some cases, for any involvement in and cooperation with undesirable organizations.

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Highest number of applications for temporary residence in Lithuania lodged in Turkey

VILNIUS, Feb 01, BNS – Since Lithuania started accepting residence permit applications abroad, the highest number of applications for temporary residence permits in Lithuania has been lodged in Turkey, Lithuania's Migration Department reported on Wednesday

As of February 1, a total of 310 applications for temporary residence permits in Lithuania had been received through an external service provider since the start of the year.

The first application was received in Turkey and a total of 63 applications have so far been lodged in this country.

VFS Global's office in India has received 51 applications, followed by 37 in Nepal, 36 in the United Arab Emirates and 25 in Kyrgyzstan.

In all cases, specialists at the Migration Department will examine the authenticity and validity of the applications and make decisions on whether or not to issue a temporary residence permit, which takes between one and three months.

Applications can be lodged in 34 countries.

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Lithuanian govt tightens citizenship procedures

VILNIUS, Feb 01, BNS - The Lithuanian government on Wednesday tightened the existing citizenship procedures and shortened the deadline for submitting documents for dual citizenship.

"The amendments are aimed at making the procedures for loss of citizenship more efficient. Our goal is to prevent abuse cases and ensure national security," Interior Vice Minister Arnoldas Abramavicius said.

The changes will speed up decisions on the loss of Lithuanian citizenship in cases where a person acquires citizenship of another state, the Interior Ministry said.

The deadline for submitting documents to prove that a Lithuanian citizen who has acquired citizenship of another state is entitled to multiple citizenship has been shortened from six to three months.

The Interior Ministry says the changes are aimed at preventing prevent persons who are not entitled to both Lithuanian citizenship and citizenship of another country from enjoying the benefits of a Lithuanian passport and a passport of another state at the same time.

If the Migration Department does not have sufficient data to confirm that a Lithuanian citizen is entitled to multiple citizenship, it will send a notice to the person to submit documents to prove their right to dual citizenship within three months at the latest.

This deadline may be extended once by the Migration Department, but no more than for two months, upon receipt of a motivated request from the person. If the person fails to submit the requested documents by the specified deadline, the Migration Department will initiate the procedure for stripping the person of their Lithuanian citizenship.

Lithuanian citizens must notify the Lithuanian Migration via its information system within two months after acquiring citizenship of another country.

By Milena Andrukaitytė

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Vilimiene named new director of Lithuanian natl opera and ballet theater

VILNIUS, Feb 01, BNS – Laima Vilimiene, currently head of the Klaipeda State Musical Theater, has been selected as director general of the Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theater (LNOBT), the Culture Ministry said on Wednesday.

Vilimiene scored more points in the selection process than the other five applicants for the job.

She will replace Jonas Sakalauskas whose five-year term as LNOBT director general is about to expire. 

Sakalauskas, an opera singer and composer, had headed the Klaipeda State Musical Theater before his LNOBT appointment in 2018. 

Vilimiene had served as the LNOBT deputy general director for marketing for years before she took over as head of the Klaipeda theater from Sakalauskas. 

She also teaches music management at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre, and has in the past worked as a lecturer in theoretical disciplines at the Vilnius Juozas Tallat-Kelpsa Conservatoire, and as head of the Information and Promotion Department at the Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra.

 

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Upcoming events in Lithuania for Thursday, February 2, 2023

VILNIUS, Feb 01, BNS – The following events are scheduled in Lithuania for Thursday, February 2, 2023:

PRESIDENT Gitanas Nauseda to meet with MPs, government officials, business representatives and economists at 10 a.m. to discuss Lithuania's economic growth and investments; to meet with European Chief Prosecutor Laura Codruta Kovesi at 1 p.m. 

PRIME MINISTER Ingrida Simonyte to meet with Kovesi at 10 a.m. 

EDUCATION, SCIENCE AND SPORT MINISTER Jurgita Siugzdiniene to meet with the Latvian and Estonian ministers responsible for sport via video link at 1:45 p.m.

JUSTICE MINISTER Ewelina Dobrowolska to meet with Kovesi at 9 a.m. 

FOREIGN MINISTER Gabrielius Landsbergis to meet with the ambassador of Georgia; to meet with the ambassador of South Korea. 

ARMED FORCES

The General Silvestras Zukauskas Training Area in Pabrade, close to Vilnius, to host at 3 p.m. a changeover ceremony of US rotational battalions deployed in Lithuania. 

 

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LITHUANIA DAILY NEWS BULLETIN

IN THIS ISSUE:

1. Upcoming events in Lithuania for Tuesday, January 31, 2023
2. Fifteen irregular migrants turned away on Lithuania's border with Belarus
3. Red lines on arms deliveries to Ukraine must be crossed – Lithuanian president 
4. Baltic, Polish foreign ministers to discuss NATO agenda in Riga
5. Lithuanian Academy of Sciences to announce science prize winners
6. Lithuania reports 520 new COVID-19 cases, 3 deaths
7. Lithuanian president backs universal conscription, not "half-shaved" fix - advisor
8. Lithuania rises 1 notch to 33rd place on global corruption perception index  
9. Lithuanian president sees no reason to reconsider Reed's citizenship decision
10. Lithuania could have energy island in Baltic Sea – energy minister
11. Domestic violence cases up in Lithuania in 2022
12. Lithuania's airport operator in talks on Dubai, transatlantic flights – minister
13. Vilnius Airport's new terminal to increase capacity, raise service quality – minister
14. Ryanair's decision to cut flights in Vilnius is usual pressure tactic – minister  
15. US president to visit Lithuania during NATO summit in July – Nauseda 
16. Baltic, Polish formins agree to continue supporting Kyiv, enhancing cooperation
17. No casualties reported after bridge collapses in central Lithuanian town
18. Lithuania's Landsbergis sees no point in Russian ambassadors in EU countries
19. Baltics, Poland oppose allowing Russians to complete in Olympics as neutrals 
20. EU funds fraud scheme uncovered in Lithuania, six people to stand trial
21. Vilnius school evacuated after homemade explosive goes off
22. Lithuanian minister initiates Baltics' IOC appeal on Russian athletes at Olympics
23. Upcoming events in Lithuania for Wednesday, February 1, 2023

Upcoming events in Lithuania for Tuesday, January 31, 2023

VILNIUS, Jan 31, BNS – The following events are scheduled in Lithuania for Tuesday, January 31, 2023:

PRESIDENT Gitanas Nauseda to pay a visit to the Kedainiai region.

FOREIGN MINISTER Gabrielius Landsbergis to attend a meeting of the Baltic and Polish foreign ministers in Riga, followed by a press conference at 2 p.m.

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

VILNIUS, Jan 31, BNS – Lithuanian border guards have in the past 24 hours turned away 15 migrants attempting to cross into the country from Belarus illegally, the State Border Guard Service (SBGS) said on Tuesday morning.

This follows three days of no recorded attempts to enter the country illegally.

Latvia reported ten attempts at illegal border crossings on Monday, and 76 irregular migrants were not allowed into Poland on Sunday, according to the latest available information.

A total of 217 regular migrants have been barred from entering Lithuania from Belarus at non-designated places so far this year.

Lithuanian border guards have prevented over 19,500 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.

 

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Red lines on arms deliveries to Ukraine must be crossed – Lithuanian president 

VILNIUS, Jan 31, BNS – Red lines on weapon deliveries to Ukraine must be crossed, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda has said. 

"I have seen many red lines that have been drawn, and sometimes I even have the impression that these red lines are not drawn by us, the Western countries, the democracies, but that it is the terrorist state of Russia that is trying to draw them through fear and threats. And it is trying to impose them," he told LRT TV on Monday evening. 

Nauseda noted that a number of "red lines" have already been crossed when it comes to Ukraine. 

"I am speaking not only about tanks. Ukraine's EU candidate status was once taboo, a red line, too.  I remember it well. Even when, say, war broke out, Germany initially said categorically that it would only send vests, helmets and the like, but not weapons. But that red line was also passed quite a long time ago," the president said. 

"This Rubicon has been crossed, so I do hope that this red line – if it really exists, and I think it exists only in our heads – will also be crossed," he said, referring to Kyiv's plea for fighter jets and long-range missiles. 

"Because fighter jets and long-range missiles are essential military aid, and at this crucial stage in the war, where the turning point is about to happen, it is vital that we act without delay," Nauseda said. 

"So my answer to your question is that those red lines must be crossed," he added. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says Ukraine needs more heavy weapons from NATO allies, including fighter jets and long-range missiles, to counter Russia's invasion.

 

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Baltic, Polish foreign ministers to discuss NATO agenda in Riga

VILNIUS, Jan 31, BNS – Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis is meeting with his Estonian, Latvian and Polish counterparts in Riga on Tuesday to discuss NATO's agenda, including preparations for July's summit in Vilnius. 

Landsbergis, Urmas Reinsalu, Edgars Rinkevics and Zbigniew Rau will also discuss how to step up regional security cooperation among Poland and the Baltic countries, the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry said in a press release on Monday.

Other topical issues to be discussed in Riga include support for Ukraine, and sanctions against Russia and Belarus, it said.

"I am glad that the meetings of the Lithuanian, Polish, Latvian and Estonian ministers are becoming routine," Landsbergis said in the press release. "Our countries' shared past has given us a similar understanding of potential threats and a determination to bolster our regional security."  

"The Baltic states and Poland have also repeatedly shown that we must relentlessly consolidate international support for Ukraine, against which Russia is waging an unprovoked, unjustified war, challenging and threatening the entire rule-based world order," he said.

 

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Lithuanian Academy of Sciences to announce science prize winners

VILNIUS, Jan 31, BNS – The Lithuanian Academy of Sciences is to announce on Tuesday the winners of the 2022 Science Prizes.

A total of 27 research papers in the fields of humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, medicine and health sciences, agriculture and technology were entered for the competition.

Up to seven Lithuanian Science Prizes are awarded annually for fundamental and applied research and experimental (social, cultural) development work of significance to Lithuania.

 

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Lithuania reports 520 new COVID-19 cases, 3 deaths

VILNIUS, Jan 31, BNS – Lithuania has recorded 520 new coronavirus infections and three deaths from COVID-19 over the past 24 hours, official statistics showed on Tuesday morning. 

Of the new cases, 361 were primary, 139 were secondary and 20 were tertiary.

The number of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 now stands at 114, including seven ICU cases.

The 14-day primary infection rate has edged up to 120.1 cases per 100,000 people, but the seven-day percentage of positive tests has ticked down to 19.8 percent.

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

More than 1.16 million people in Lithuania have tested positive with COVID-19 at least once.

Some 69.7 percent of people in the country have received at least one coronavirus vaccine jab so far.

 

 

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Lithuanian president backs universal conscription, not "half-shaved" fix - advisor

VILNIUS, Jan 31, BNS – Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda is in favor of universal conscription rather than partial correction of certain shortcomings, his adviser says.

"The president remains consistent, probably the most consistent person on this topic, and says that we have to agree on universal conscription. (...) And to plan our actions from that date, understanding that it will take several years, instead of doing what we are doing now, let's say, going through the correction of certain shortcomings, having this whole "half-shaved, half-peeled" project and being unclear what the final result would be", he added.

His comment came in response to the Ministry of National Defense's proposed conscription reform.

The proposed reform, unveiled by defense minister in early January, provides for shortening the duration of the basic compulsory military service to six months and increasing the total annual number of draftees to 5,000 starting in 2027, up from the current 3,800. 

It also calls for offering more alternatives to compulsory initial military service.

After completing their six-month service, young people would be able to remain in the Armed Forces voluntarily for a further three months and would be paid the salary of a professional service member for the period. 

The Defense Ministry estimates that about half of conscripts will opt to continue their service for another three months on a voluntary basis. 

Under the new model, the Armed Forces would also be able to call up higher education graduates for three months to fill a shortage of specialties.

If approved by the parliament, the reform will be phased in gradually from 2024 to 2027.

Lithuania's Chief of Defense Valdemaras Rupsys has said that the aim of the reform is to eventually have 40,000 active reservists in the Armed Forces, up from 27,000 currently.

Lithuania reintroduced partial military conscription in the spring of 2015 amid security concerns following Russia's annexation of Crimea and the conflict in eastern Ukraine between Moscow-backed separatists and Kyiv forces.

By Augustas Stankevičius

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Lithuania rises 1 notch to 33rd place on global corruption perception index  

VILNIUS, Jan 31, BNS – Lithuania rose one notch to number 33 on Transparency International's global Corruption Perceptions Index 2022 published on Tuesday.   

Lithuania scored 62 on a 100-point scale and ranks 12th among EU member countries.

Globally, Denmark tops the list with 90 points, followed by New Zealand and Finland with 87 points each, and Norway with 84 points.

Estonia slipped to number 14 in the latest index with 74 points (13th place and 74 points last year), and Latvia fell to number 39 with 59 points (36th place and 59 points). Poland dropped to 45th place with 55 points (42nd place and 56 points).   

Belarus fell to number 91 with 39 points (82nd place and 41 points last year), and Russia slid to 137th position with 28 points (136th place and 29 points).  

The EU's average score is 64 points out of 100.

The Corruption Perceptions Index measures the perceived level of corruption on a scale from 0 to 100, where 0 indicates that a country is perceived as highly corrupt and 100 means that it is perceived as "very clean". The level of corruption in the public and government sectors is evaluated by various experts and business leaders.

The Lithuanian government has decided to measure its success in the fight against corruption based on the index, with its program aiming at achieving a score of 70 points in 2024.

 

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Lithuanian president sees no reason to reconsider Reed's citizenship decision

VILNIUS, Jan 31, BNS – Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda says he sees no reason to reconsider the decision to deny ice dancer Allison Reed Lithuanian citizenship for merits.

"I would like to see what has happened since the last decision, when, yes, we made a negative decision because we thought there were very serious constitutional obstacles to it," he told the public television LRT's Dienos Tema on Monday.

"If we receive information that will allow us to review this decision, we will consider that decision. But today, with the information I have, I don’t think the decision could be different," the president said.

He also called the reoccurring issue of granting Lithuanian citizenship to the ice dancer a kind of pressure, and reminded of previous individual cases of granting citizenship to skaters, saying that "it was not a story we would like to see repeated".

In 1993, Russian-born ice dancer Margarita Drobiazko was granted Lithuanian citizenship by means of exception, and in August, 22, Nauseda stripped her and her Lithuanian husband Povilas Vanagas of their state awards for performing in Russia's Sochi, despite the fact that Russia's war against Ukraine was going on at the time.

In 2013, then-President Dalia Grybauskaite granted Lithuanian citizenship to skater Isabella Tobias who had been seeking it for several years so that she and her partner Deividas Stagniunas could take part in the Sochi Olympics. After Stagniunas retired in 2014, Tobias was reported to have obtained Israeli citizenship to continue her sport career.

Ice dancers Reed and Saulius Ambrulevicius finished fourth in the European Championships. 

A year ago, Reed was not granted Lithuanian citizenship by means of exception because she had failed to demonstrate any special merits to Lithuania.

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Lithuania could have energy island in Baltic Sea – energy minister

VILNIUS, Jan 31, BNS – Lithuania could in the future have an energy island in the Baltic Sea, where hydrogen would be produced from electricity generated by offshore wind, Energy Minister Dainius Kreivys has said. 

An ongoing study of the country's energy transformation will gauge the need for such an island whose project could be carried out by private investors, according to the minister.   

"The Danes are developing that and the Belgians are developing that in the North Sea, and we also have such plans," Kreivys told a TV3 program on Monday.  

"A British company is doing a study on our whole energy transformation. Then one of its most acceptable scenarios will be tested with the American laboratory NREL, and modelling will be carried out," he said. 

NREL stands for the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

"We think that an island will emerge on our shelf in the Baltic Sea.  Why do we need it? Because we can transmit electricity to the shore via cables only from two (offshore wind) farms, but we can build six and probably more," Kreivys added. 

Four more offshore wind farms could be built in Lithuania's territorial waters in 2030-2040, according to the minister.  

"We will have two farms by 2030 and (...) four more between 2030 and 2040," he said.   

Kreivys said that Lithuania will consume 19 terawatt hours (TWh) of electricity per year in 2030, 40 TWh in 2040 and 60 TWh in 2050.

Data from Lithuania's electricity transmission operator Litgrid show that the country used 12 TWh of electricity in 2021, the largest figure since 1991, when it stood at 14.4 TWh. 

Kreivys said that the demand for electricity in Lithuania will increase with the decarburization of the industry and transport sectors, adding that the country's industry will need a large amount of hydrogen. 

In the minister's words, private investors would be responsible for the development of the energy island project as the state would only take care of its infrastructure.   

"I want to say that the island project is not the state's project," Kreivys said. "As to the island itself, as infrastructure, its development would most likely be entrusted to the Epso-G Group." 

"It would be a national project in which all our market players plus foreign investors could participate," he added.

 

By Giedrius Gaidamavičius

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Domestic violence cases up in Lithuania in 2022

VILNIUS, Jan 31, BNS - The number of domestic violence cases rose slightly in 2022 in Lithuania. Minors made 10.3 percent of all victims and eight out of ten were women, the country's State Data Agency said on Tuesday.

90.8 percent of children were victims of their parents or adoptive parents, the statistics show.

Moreover, the number of sexual offenses rose by more than a quarter, and the majority of abusers were men.

A total of 5,872 domestic violence cases were recorded in Lithuania last year, up by 1.2 percent, compared to 2021, the statistics service said. Domestic violence cases accounted for 14.4 percent of all registered crimes and eight out of ten victims of domestic violence were women.

A total of 6,119 victims of domestic violence-related crimes were registered last year, almost two thirds of them were committed in urban areas and over a third were recorded in rural areas. The majority of adult victims – 4,300 or 78.8 percent –were women, and 80.6 percent suffered from an intimate partner.

Over 60 percent of the crimes were classified as minor injuries.

According to the report, the number of sexual violence cases rose by 29 percent last year, and the number of serious bodily injury cases went up by 26.6 percent. The number of domestic homicides grew to 25, from 21.

In 2022, 4,388 person were recorded as suspects in domestic violence cases, down by 2 percent from 2021, and 86.3 percent of them were men.

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Lithuania's airport operator in talks on Dubai, transatlantic flights – minister

VILNIUS, Jan 31, BNS – Lietuvos Oro Uostai (Lithuanian Airports, LOU), the airport operator in Lithuania, is in talks with foreign airlines on regular flights not only to major business centers in Europe, but also to Dubai as well as transatlantic flights, the country's Transport and Communications Minister Marius Skuodis says.

"Right now, the LOU is in active negotiations with airlines. I hope not only flights to the so-called hubs, but also long-haul flights, which LOU has never had in terms of regular flights," the minister told journalists on Tuesday. "I am also personally involved in these discussions and negotiations. One of the last meetings was recently held in Warsaw with the management of LOT and they already plan to increase the number of flights to Warsaw."

"One of the destinations is Asia. Today, we travel to Asia mainly via Turkey, we have 14 flights a week, but we need alternatives so that people have a choice. Let's be honest that the prices would also come down. So Asia is one destination. Dubai could be another one. Another destination, besides European airports, could be across the Atlantic," the minister said.

Skuodis agrees that the business sector now lacks convenient destinations, especially to major European business centers, adding that negotiations on that are also ongoing and funding plans are being made. One of the existing priorities, he said, is flights to London City Airport. 

He also pointed out that the runway at Vilnius Airport is suitable for long-haul flights. 

"The best proof of this is the upcoming NATO summit when the leaders of various countries will fly in on their biggest airplanes and they will land here and fit in perfectly," Skuodis said.

By Erika Alonderytė-Kazlauskė

Editor: Roma Pakėnienė

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Vilnius Airport's new terminal to increase capacity, raise service quality – minister

VILNIUS, Jan 31, BNS – Vilnius Airport on Tuesday officially launched the construction of a new passenger departure terminal that will increase the airport's capacity and will raise its quality bar, according to Transport Minister Marius Skuodis.

The chief executive officer of Lietuvos Oro Uostai (Lithuanian Airports, LTOU) says that the project marks a fundamental shift in the airport's development strategy.

"Vilnius Airport has outgrown its clothes, (...) and the new terminal we are all waiting for will allow it to double its capacity," Skuodis said at the ceremony.

The new terminal will also elevate the quality of service "to a completely different level", he added.  

With the new terminal, Vilnius Airport will be able to revamp its entire infrastructure, especially when a spur of the Rail Baltica European-gauge high-speed railway is built to the airport, according to Skuodis.  

Aurimas Stikliunas, CEO of LTOU, said that Tuesday's ceremony also marks the launch of a program for upgrading the entire Vilnius Airport.

The state-of-the-art terminal project will fundamentally change the airport's development strategy and will correct mistakes made while expanding the airport in the past, he said.

Vilnius Airport's new passenger departure terminal is being built by Eikos Statyba, the winning bidder, under a contract worth 50.2 million euros, including VAT.

By the end of 2024, the total area of Vilnius Airport's passenger terminals will increase by a third and the passenger throughput will more than double to 2,400 passengers per hour.

 

By Izabela Kuzmicka

Editor: Roma Pakėnienė

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Ryanair's decision to cut flights in Vilnius is usual pressure tactic – minister  

VILNIUS, Jan 31, BNS – Ryanair's decision to cut routes and flights from Vilnius Airport, citing increased charges as the reason, is part of the Irish low-cost airline's usual tactic of pressure, Lithuanian Transport Minister Marius Skuodis said on Tuesday, adding that this creates an opportunity for other carriers to offer more routes.

"It is common practice for this company to exert public pressure," Skuodis told reporters at Vilnius Airport. "It is done in Berlin, London and Brussels airports, all over Europe, and it is not something unusual."

"I hope this will be an opportunity for other airlines to increase the number of destinations," the minister said. 

"When it comes to national aviation, the aim is not to be too dependent on any single airline, so that we have a sufficient number of diverse routes," he added.

Aurimas Stikliunas, acting CEO of Lietuvos Oro Uostai (Lithuanian Airports, LTOU), also told the 15min online news site on Monday that he regarded Ryanair's move as public pressure. 

European airports can review their pricing, which is regulated jointly by the European Union, on an annual basis, according to Stikliunas.

Some European airports raised their charges last year as traveler flows recovered. However, Lithuanian airports had not increased their charges for several years to encourage airlines to recover their passenger levels, he said.  

Ryanair has said recently that it is reducing its summer 2023 schedule at Vilnius Airport by 30 percent, scrapping two routes and cutting the number of flights on 11 others.  

The move comes in response to "Vilnius Airport's illogical decision" to increase its charges by 28 percent from January 1, 2023, the airline said in a press release. 

 

By Erika Alonderytė-Kazlauskė

Editor: Roma Pakėnienė

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US president to visit Lithuania during NATO summit in July – Nauseda 

VILNIUS, Jan 31, BNS – US President Joe Biden is expected to take part in NATO's summit in Vilnius in July, the Lithuanian president's office confirmed on Tuesday. 

"In any case, we will see the US president in Lithuania this year – I have no doubt about that – and it will be on July 11-12 (...), when we will host all leaders of NATO member countries and (...) partner countries in Vilnius," President Gitanas Nauseda told reporters.

Ridas Jasiulionis, his advisor, later confirmed to BNS that the details of visits are being coordinated with all participating countries, including the US administration, and that there are "no questions" about Biden's visit.

Lithuania will host NATO's summit for the first time on July 11-12. The gathering is expected to bring together around 40 delegations from NATO member and partner countries, with around 5,000 people estimated to attend the event and accompany the delegations.

 

By Austėja Masiokaitė-Liubinienė

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Baltic, Polish formins agree to continue supporting Kyiv, enhancing cooperation

VILNIUS, Jan 31, BNS – The Baltic and Polish foreign ministers signed a declaration on Tuesday in Riga and vowed to continue supporting Ukraine and cooperating more closely to strengthen "collective deterrence and resilience".

"While being member states of the EU and NATO, we acknowledge the potential to further intensify our cooperation for the sake of mutual benefit," the document reads.

The ministers stressed that cooperation should be developed "on a political and practical level to enhance our efforts to strengthen collective deterrence and resilience and promote economic growth and prosperity of the region and beyond".

The declaration also states that cooperation within NATO is "the cornerstone of our security".

"We reiterate the high importance of continuing political, military, financial support and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine," the declaration states.

Moreover, it reads, the Baltic countries and Poland share a similar historical experience of "aggression and severe oppression by revisionist totalitarian regimes during many decades of the 20th century".

Due to our common past, the ministers say their counties have developed a similar understanding of potential threats and the determination to strengthen their security and protect their independence and territorial integrity. The countries say they share a close vision on the actions necessary to deter and defend against security threats in the region.

"Together we have elaborated initiatives aimed at fighting against hybrid threats, ensuring deterrence and defense, strengthening border security, as well as supporting Ukraine that have later been successfully implemented in various forms and frameworks including the European Union, NATO and the United Nations," the declaration reads.

By Augustas Stankevičius

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No casualties reported after bridge collapses in central Lithuanian town

VILNIUS, Jan 31, BNS – Part of a bridge in the central Lithuanian town of Kedainiai collapsed on Tuesday morning, forcing the authorities to close traffic, but there were no casualties, the police said. 

"It is the main bridge leading into the town," Dovile Ezerinskiene, spokeswoman for the Kaunas County Police, told BNS. 

At 7.40 a.m., the authorities received a report that part of the bridge across the Nevezis River on Tilto Street had collapsed and a hole had opened up in it.

"This caused no casualties or damage to property. The bridge is currently closed to traffic," Ezerinskiene told BNS. 

President Gitanas Nauseda, who visited the scene during his scheduled trip to Kedainiai on Tuesday, said the accident revealed a lack of funding for maintaining roads and bridges.

"This highlights once again to the deplorable state of Lithuania's bridges – and not only bridges," Nauseda told reporters in Kedainiai.  

"The condition of this bridge was assessed as satisfactory not long ago, but as you can see, the bridge thought otherwise," he said. 

The Lithuanian Road Administration did not fulfil its obligation to renovate the bridge in 2022, the president noted.

The administration says that the bridge's girder may have been damaged by heavy vehicles exceeding weight limits.

 

By Ingrida Steniulienė

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Lithuania's Landsbergis sees no point in Russian ambassadors in EU countries

VILNIUS, Jan 31, BNS - Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis says he sees no point in EU member states having Russian ambassadors in their countries.

"In many cases, there is little use in having an ambassador, a Russian ambassador, in any European capital. Because as we have seen, in most cases it's no longer a diplomatic institution, it's an institution of propaganda, covering up crimes of war and in general promoting a genocidal agenda," the minister told reporters at a joint press conference with his Baltic and Polish counterparts in Riga on Tuesday.

In his words, not so long ago Lithuania was the only country without a Russian ambassador. "Now we are in the group of the Baltic countries," he said.

Last week, Estonia and Latvia announced their decisions to expel Russian ambassadors. That was Tallinn's tit-for-tat move in response to the Kremlin's decision, and Latvia expressed solidarity with its Baltic neighbor.

Lithuania downgraded its diplomatic relations with Russia in April, 2022 in response to the massacre in Kyiv's suburb of Bucha.

Landsbergis does not rule out that more countries might follow suit after seeing what is happening in Ukraine, adding, however, that it "takes time" and different perspectives.

For their part, the Polish, Latvian and Estonian ministers say that as long as Russia continues the war in Ukraine, diplomatic relations with the Kremlin have no future.

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Baltics, Poland oppose allowing Russians to complete in Olympics as neutrals 

VILNIUS, Jan 31, BNS – The Baltic countries and Poland are opposed to allowing Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete in the Olympic Games, even as neutrals, Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics said on Tuesday.

"We all agree that as long as Russia, supported by Belarus, is continuing its unprovoked direct aggression against Ukraine, such a step should not be supported; it is unacceptable," he told reporters in Riga. 

Latvia's top diplomat called on the international community to express a clear and united position on the issue.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) suggested last week that Russians and Belarusians should be allowed to participate in the 2024 Paris Olympics as "neutral athletes".

"No athlete should be prevented from competing just because of their passport," it said in a statement. 

Daina Gudzineviciute, president of the Lithuanian National Olympic Committee (LTOC), told BNS on Monday that most international Olympic sports federations have suspended Russia and Belarus, which means that athletes from these countries will not be able to participate in the Olympic qualifiers.

She said that the IOC's statement could be "more of a warning that those who qualify will not be able to demonstrate that they are from Russia", because not all federations have suspended Russian athletes and they are not barred from the qualifiers.

According to the LTOC, three international federations have not suspended Russian and Belarusian athletes in individual sports – field tennis, table tennis and cycling.

 

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EU funds fraud scheme uncovered in Lithuania, six people to stand trial

VILNIUS, Jan 31, BNS – An EU-funding fraud case has been handed over to the Vilnius City District Court and six people will stand trial, the country's prosecution service said on Tuesday.

The pre-trial investigation into high-value fraud, fraudulent bookkeeping, document forgery and their use to cause significant damage to the financial interests of the European Union was carried out by the European Delegated Prosecutors and Lithuania's Financial Crime Investigation Service.

The European Public Prosecutor's Office found that the creation of a chain of allegedly fictitious transactions, valued at 1.2 million euros, had caused damage of almost 580,000 euros to the EU budget. The company charged as part of this investigation covered the damage incurred to the Ministry of the Economy and Innovation during the pre-trial investigation.

According to the case materials, acting on behalf of the project promoter, the shareholders organized the purchase of EU-funded equipment from foreign suppliers before or after the tenders were launched. Later on, allegedly acting through intermediaries, they simulated procurement tenders and procedures and significantly inflated the equipment's purchase price, compared to that what was in fact paid the actual equipment suppliers.

Six persons were charged with fraud, document forgery and fraudulent bookkeeping as part of this criminal case. They include the project promoter (a legal entity), its shareholders, and the directors of other companies.

All the suspects pleaded guilty during the pre-trial investigation.

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Vilnius school evacuated after homemade explosive goes off

VILNIUS, Jan 31, BNS – A homemade explosive device went off in a school in Vilnius on Tuesday, forcing the evacuation of students and staff, but causing no injuries or damage.

The capital's police received a report at 10:16 a.m. that three plastic bottles with bulk substance had been found on a staircase of the Levas Karsavinas School in Justiniskiu Street. One of them exploded.  

"There are no casualties or damage to property", the police report said.

The school was evacuated at 10:35 a.m. Classes were allowed to resume at around noon. 

The school had received no threats. It is thought that the aim was to force the cancellation of a test for fourth-graders scheduled for Tuesday. 

Initial examination showed that the bottle contained a mix of household chemicals and a foil roll. It is believed that shaking the bottle could have caused a chemical reaction.

The police have launched a pre-trial investigation and are looking for a possible suspect captured by CCTV cameras.

 

 

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Lithuanian minister initiates Baltics' IOC appeal on Russian athletes at Olympics

VILNIUS, Jan 31, BNS - Lithuanian Minister of Education, Science and Sport Jurgita Siugzdiniene is initiating the Baltic states' appeal to the International Olympic Committee to prevent Russian and Belarusian athletes from taking part in the Olympics.

She plans to discuss the issue with her Latvian and Estonian counterparts on Thursday.

"I have invited my counterparts to discuss a joint IOC appeal on the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes in international competitions. The IOC's ongoing discussions are surprising in a bad way and they are incomprehensible. At a time when free and democratic countries are mobilizing against Russia and its ally Belarus and increasing support for Ukraine, the IOC is looking for special forms for Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in international sport," the minister said in a statement on Tuesday.

In her words, efforts to bring Russian and Belarusian athletes back into competition under the disguise of neutrality are helping the Kremlin's propaganda to prop up their criminal regimes.

"We disagree with that and we do not want our athletes to be forced to compete against aggressors and sacrifice their own values and the values of the countries and societies they represent," the minister said.

Lithuania also plans to invite Nordic and other countries to join this IOC appeal.

The International Olympic Committee suggested last week that Russians and Belarusians should be allowed to participate in the 2024 Paris Olympics as "neutral athletes".

"No athlete should be prevented from competing just because of their passport," it said in a statement.

The Baltic states, Poland and Latvia disapprove of such a move, and Latvia is even considering boycotting the Olympics, if the Russians take part.

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Upcoming events in Lithuania for Wednesday, February 1, 2023

VILNIUS, Feb 01, BNS – The following events are scheduled in Lithuania for Wednesday, February 1, 2023:

PRESIDENT Gitanas Nauseda to receive credentials from the incoming Greek ambassador at 1 p.m.; to receive credentials from the incoming ambassador of Kazakhstan at 2 p.m.; to receive credentials from the incoming ambassador of the Republic of Korea at 3 p.m.

SPEAKER OF THE SEIMAS Viktorija Cmilyte-Nielsen  to meet with Korean Ambassador Hoonmin Lim at 3.40 p.m.

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

DEFENSE MINISTER Arvydas Anusauskas to meet with the Ukrainian ambassador at 9 a.m.; to meet with the Czech defense minister at 4.30 p.m.

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