LITHUANIA DAILY NEWS BULLETIN

IN THIS ISSUE:

1. Nine irregular migrants turned away on Lithuania's border with Belarus
2. Rally to remind of Russia's war crimes to be held outside Vilnius embassy
3. Wagner in Belarus can be used to pit them against Europe – Landsbergis
4. Lithuanian defmin says he doesn't publish secret information
5. Lithuanian intermin vows to submit updated migrant bill next month
6. Lithuania reports 18 new COVID-19 cases, no deaths
7. Lithuania’s ForMin to pay EUR 2.3 mln to Autolux for car rental for NATO summit
8. Jakucionis appointed as editor-in-chief of BNS Lithuania
9. Lithuanian defmin says he has informed SDC that he will announce plans to buy German tanks
10. Lithuanian defmin says he has informed SDC that he will announce plans to buy German tanks (expands)
11. Lithuanian formin already calls on EU to toughen new sanctions for Belarus
12. Rally to remind of Russia's war crimes held outside Russian embassy in Vilnius
13. Army exercise in Lithuania's Klaipeda involved firing at sea targets
14. Ukrainian woman allowed to stay in Lithuania after saying that Crimea belongs to Russia (media)
15. Lithuanian federation expresses solidarity with Ukrainian fencer Kharlan
16. Upcoming events in Lithuania for Friday, July 28, 2023

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

VILNIUS, Jul 27, BNS –  Lithuanian border guards have in the past 24 hours turned away nine migrants attempting to cross into the country from Belarus illegally, the State Border Guard Service (SBGS) said on Wednesday morning.

Latvia reported 47 attempts at illegal border crossings on Wednesday, and 130 irregular migrants were not allowed into Poland on Tuesday, according to the latest available information.

A total of 1,409 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 almost 20,700 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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Rally to remind of Russia's war crimes to be held outside Vilnius embassy

VILNIUS, Jul 27, BNS - A rally will take place in Boris Nemtsov Square in Vilnius outside the Russian Embassy on Thursday to remind people of Russia's war crimes and to call on the United Nations to reopen one of its investigations, with up to 15 people are expected to attend.

Its initiator, Laurynas Kasciunas, chairman of the Lithuanian parliamentary Committee on National Security and Defense, says the goal is to remind people of the bombing of the prison in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian town of Olenivka almost a year ago. It held captured Ukrainians, mainly members of the Azov battalion who defended the Azovstal plant in Mariupol.

At least 50 Ukrainian soldiers were killed and many more wounded in the attack. In January, the United Nations suspended its mission to investigate the attack.

On Thursday, as the anniversary of the tragedy approaches, the goal is to call on the UN to resume the investigation, Kasciunas said.

"For our part, we have drawn up an official appeal to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, signed by several dozen members of the Seimas," he said. 

According to American intelligence, "there are clear signals that Russia has made attempts to conceal evidence of the crime", while Ukrainian intelligence has also reported having received wiretaps that confirm Russian involvement and responsibility for the terrorist act, the statement reads.

"This is not only the killing of prisoners of war, but also the use of concentration camps, which violates the norms and principles of international law. For this reason, the United Nations, as an organization with the purpose of maintaining international peace and security, must take action," Kasciunas stressed.

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Wagner in Belarus can be used to pit them against Europe – Landsbergis

VILNIUS, Jul 27, BNS - Wagner mercenaries in Belarus could be used to pit them against Europe, Vytautas Landsbergis, Lithuania's first post-independence, leader says.

Russian President Vladimir Putin could also pit mercenaries against Europe to get rid of them, he wondered. 

"Perhaps, Putin is afraid of them, or maybe Putin just wants to pit them against Europe, for example through Lithuania, so that either they destroy someone or be destroyed themselves, but not by Putin's hands," Landsbergis told the public broadcaster LRT on Wednesday.

He believes it would be better for Lithuania not to have mercenaries in its neighborhood: "It would be better not to have them here, let them go somewhere in Africa, they have mines there, they have all their corrupt states, let them go, if Putin doesn’t need them in Russia".

Lithuania should not wait for a threat to the country's security to emerge or for something to happen, Landsbergis said.

"When something happens, then we'll say that we thought that nothing happened. If a new situation arises in which something might happen, it means that it has already happened," Landsbergis said.

On Monday, Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte said Lithuania's preparedness for possible threats after Wagner's arrival in Belarus was adequate to the current situation.

Belarusian Hajun, a group that monitors military activity in Belarus, reports that some 2,000 military personnel have already entered the country since mid-July. They started coming to Belarus after their failed June mutiny in Russia, which was brought to an end by Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko who allowed Russian mercenaries to enter his country.

By Valdas Pryšmantas

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Lithuanian defmin says he doesn't publish secret information

VILNIUS, Jul 27, BNS – Lithuanian Defense Minister Arvydas Anusauskas says he doesn’t publish classified information after President Gitanas Nauseda criticized him for publishing limited-use information.

"No information that has any security classification has been used and is not being used for publicity in national defense. Neither the information I have published, which I have already said several times, nor that of the Ministry of National Defense or the Lithuanian Armed Forces," the minister posted on Facebook on Thursday. 

"Not many people know but the unjustified use of security classification is also prohibited by law. If this principle were not respected, you would probably not learn about the arrival of allies, exercises, equipment received by the army, or planned acquisitions using the money of all taxpayers," Anusauskas said.

On Wednesday, Nauseda criticized Anusaukas for the publication of information about the Lithuanian army's planned acquisition of tanks.

According to the president, the State Defense Council earlier agreed that "we adhere to the principle that things that are of limited use should be of limited use, and not immediately published on Facebook". In such cases, he said, it is important to think about the secondary consequences of the information becoming public.

Later this week, Lithuania plans to sign a letter of intent on acquisition of German Leopard tanks.

Anusauskas said earlier that "the main evaluation criteria the decision was based on were the price and maintenance costs, the operational environment, the mobility, protection, adaptability, firepower and interoperability”.

He also said that the analysis and evaluation of the proposals submitted by the tank makers took about six months

According to Anusauskas, while the delivery times for all the tanks assessed are similar, ranging from four to six years, the Leopard and Abrams are easier and faster to acquire than the others.

He also said that although the two abovementioned tank models were similar in price, Leopard tanks had significantly lower maintenance costs.

Lithuania is buying the tanks as part of its plans to create an army division. The Defense Ministry estimates that this could cost an average of 200 million euros annually until 2030.

The defense minister disclosed more details about the acquisition of tanks in response to criticism by MP Raimundas Lopata who argued that the selection process was not sufficiently transparent.

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Lithuanian intermin vows to submit updated migrant bill next month

VILNIUS, Jul 27, BNS – Lithuanian Interior Minister Agne Bilotaite vows to submit an updated migrant bill to the government next month.

"The working group has already finished its work and we are set to submit amendments soon," she told the Ziniu Radijas news radio Thursday. "I am so hopeful that this should happen in August."

Lithuania's the Constitutional Court ruled in June that the forced accommodation of all irregular migrants who have illegally crossed the Lithuanian border when there's a declared extreme situation in the country and such accommodation can last up to six months run counter to the Constitution.

The Seimas, however, had the right to impose certain restrictions on irregular migrants, the court said, but "the application of the same measure to all asylum seekers, i.e. temporarily accommodation of all asylum seekers in specified places without the right to move around in the territory of Lithuania, did not allow for an individual assessment of each person's situation and their threat to the interests of the state and society".

The ruling came in response to an Iraqi national's complaint and request for the law's review.

In 2021, almost 4,200 migrants entered Lithuania illegally from Belarus before Lithuania started turning irregular migrants around.

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Lithuania reports 18 new COVID-19 cases, no deaths

VILNIUS, Jul 27, BNS – Lithuania has recorded 18 new coronavirus infections and no deaths from COVID-19 over the past 24 hours, official statistics showed on Thursday morning.

The number of COVID-19 patients in hospitals now stands at 8, including one ICU case.

The 14-day primary infection rate has edged up to 7.9 cases per 100,000 people, with the seven-day percentage of positive tests at 7.6 percent.

The number of new coronavirus cases hit the peak in Lithuania in early February 2022 when more than 14,000 new infections were recorded daily.

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

Some 68.5 percent of people in the country have received at least one coronavirus vaccine jab so far, according to the statistics.

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Lithuania’s ForMin to pay EUR 2.3 mln to Autolux for car rental for NATO summit

VILNIUS, Jul 27, BNS – The Foreign Ministry will pay 2.28 million euros (excluding VAT) to Autolux, the Baltic representative of the US car rental company Hertz, for the rental of 322 cars for the NATO summit in Vilnius in July.

The company reported that 368 cars with a total market value of 16.7 million euros were made available to the summit participants, of which 46 were kept on site as a possible reserve.

According to Mantas Narkevicius, director of Autolux, even the lower than previously announced number of rented cars was a financial and logistical challenge.

"It is not possible to get this number of cars from a single supplier, so we negotiated with a number of them, and most of the cars came to us a month and a half before the start of the NATO summit," Narkevicius said in a press release.

It was announced earlier that the ministry would rent up to 512 premium cars from Autolux for 6.4 million euros.

Autolux owns more than 3,000 cars. The company reported sales of 39.3 million euros and net earnings of 4.1 million euros for 2022.

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Jakucionis appointed as editor-in-chief of BNS Lithuania

VILNIUS, Jul 27, BNS – Saulius Jakucionis has been appointed editor-in-chief of the Lithuanian office of Baltic News Service (BNS), a pan-Baltic news agency.

Jakucionis has been working as BNS deputy director for content since 2021.

"Saulius has proved to be a proponent of high journalistic standards and good values. He is extremely hard-working and persistent in achieving his goals. I am delighted that he is officially taking over the helm of the newsroom of the strongest news agency. I wish him continued personal growth, growth of the team and growth of the public's and our customers' trust in journalism. There are many different media in Lithuania, and BNS is undoubtedly a multiple star,” BNS CEO Tomas Balzekas said in a press release.

"The selection of news according to its relevance to society, as well as the reliability and objectivity of news, are the cornerstones of the BNS editorial team's work, and their relevance is only growing in times of information overload. We will continue to work to remain the best in news journalism, helping our customers and readers to make decisions," the press release quoted Jakucionis as saying.

Jakucionis, 28, holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from Vilnius University. Since 2014, he has worked for the news agency BNS, the news portal of the national broadcaster LRT, and the 15min.lt news portal.

Since 2018, Jakucionis has been collaborating with Agence France-Presse (AFP).

BNS is part of 15min group, a media group.

Estonia’s Postimees Grupp owns 60 percent of 15min group, while 40 percent and management control is the hands of 4 Bees, a holding company owned by Balzekas, Martynas Basokas, Gabriele Burbiene and Tomas Bindokas.

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Lithuanian defmin says he has informed SDC that he will announce plans to buy German tanks

VILNIUS, Jul 27, BNS – Lithuanian Defense Minister Arvydas Anusauskas says he has informed the State Defense Council (SDC) that he will publicly announce plans to acquire German tanks.

"I immediately said that the matter cannot be classified in any way, because it would simply not be in line with the law," he told reporters at the Defense Ministry on Thursday.

"Imagine if that information about our intentions appeared in foreign media. Then everybody would turn around and look – so why did you hide it?" he said.

A day earlier, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda criticized Anusaukas for the publication of information about the Lithuanian army's planned acquisition of tanks.

According to the president, the State Defense Council earlier agreed that "we adhere to the principle that things that are of limited use should be of limited use ".

However, the presidential office later told BNS that the president "made a political assessment".

"The legal assessment of information released to the public is primarily the responsibility of the owner of the information – the Defense Ministry," the office said in comments.

Anusauskas claims that he has not disclosed any information with a secret classification.

The minister told reporters about Lithuania's plans to acquire Leopard tanks after the State Defense Council meeting on Monday. He said at the time that this was military advice and did not comment further on the plans.

Later, he was criticized by MP Raimundas Lopata and asked questions about the selection criteria for the manufacturers and the military advice.

In response, Anusauskas said in a Facebook post that when choosing tanks, Lithuania had evaluated the offers of Leopard, American Abrams and Korean Black Panther manufacturers, and provided more details about the planned acquisition.

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Lithuanian defmin says he has informed SDC that he will announce plans to buy German tanks (expands)

VILNIUS, Jul 27, BNS – Lithuanian Defense Minister Arvydas Anusauskas says he has informed the State Defense Council (SDC) that he will publicly announce plans to acquire German tanks.

"I immediately said that the matter cannot be classified in any way, because it would simply not be in line with the law," he told reporters at the Defense Ministry on Thursday.

"Imagine if that information about our intentions appeared in foreign media. Then everybody would turn around and look – so why did you hide it?" he said.

A day earlier, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda criticized Anusaukas for the publication of information about the Lithuanian army's planned acquisition of tanks.

According to the president, the State Defense Council earlier agreed that "we adhere to the principle that things that are of limited use should be of limited use ".

However, the presidential office later told BNS that the president "made a political assessment".

"The legal assessment of information released to the public is primarily the responsibility of the owner of the information – the Defense Ministry," the office said in comments.

Anusauskas claims that he has not disclosed any information with a secret classification.

He also said that he believed he had the trust of the head of state, although he noted he did not want to comment on this for Nauseda.

"I don't comment on such things in general. Mistrust is always expressed by some kind of action. In this case, I do not have to make any judgements for others," Anusauskas said.

"I think that there is trust because we are currently doing a lot of work together – the presidential office, the government and the ministry – to strengthen national defense," he added.

The minister told reporters about Lithuania's plans to acquire Leopard tanks after the State Defense Council meeting on Monday. He said at the time that this was military advice and did not comment further on the plans.

Later, he was criticized by MP Raimundas Lopata and asked questions about the selection criteria for the manufacturers and the military advice.

In response, Anusauskas said in a Facebook post that when choosing tanks, Lithuania had evaluated the offers of Leopard, American Abrams and Korean Black Panther manufacturers, and provided more details about the planned acquisition.

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Lithuanian formin already calls on EU to toughen new sanctions for Belarus

VILNIUS, Jul 27, BNS - Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis says the European Union's recently approved sanctions for Belarus are long overdue and called on the block not to stop.

"New sanctions for Belarus have been approved after a year's break, something that should have happened long ago. Belarus is supporting Russia's aggression in Ukraine, the human rights situation continues to deteriorate, and Belarusian territory is being used to circumvent the sanctions against Russia," the minister told BNS on Thursday.

Landsbergis confirmed that the new package introduces new restrictions on dual-use goods and aviation parts, which, he said, would help prevent "goods from appearing on the battlefield", as well as fight against the circumvention of the existing sanctions for Russia through Belarus.

"But we cannot stop as the rest of the sanctions package must be adopted immediately. I hope we won't have to wait so long for that," Landsbergis said.

On Wednesday, EU member states agreed to tighten sanctions for Belarus for helping Russia to continue its large-scale war in Ukraine and for Minsk's crackdown on the opposition. EU countries have been arguing since the beginning of the year over the tightening of sanctions for Belarus in order to bring them in line with the existing measures for Russia.

The new sanctions blacklisted more Belarusian officials and are mainly aimed at restricting the use of dual-use equipment that can be used on the battlefield, and also stopping exports of aviation parts to Belarus.

Authoritarian Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko is the closest ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin and has allowed his country's territory to be used as a staging ground for Moscow's offensive of Ukraine.

The EU has already announced several sanction packages for Minsk over the Lukashenko regime's crackdown on the opposition since 2020 and the war in Ukraine, blacklisting the Belarusian leader and members of his family.

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Rally to remind of Russia's war crimes held outside Russian embassy in Vilnius

VILNIUS, Jul 27, BNS – About a dozen people picketed outside the Russian Embassy in Vilnius on Thursday to remind of Russia's war crimes and to call on the United Nations (UN) to reopen one of its investigations.

Protesters gathered in the capital's Boris Nemtsov Square, named after the murdered Russian opposition figure, holding placards reading "United Nations, time to act" and "Free the Azovstal defenders".

Laurynas Kasciunas, chairman of the Lithuanian parliamentary Committee on National Security and Defense and the rally’s initiator, said on Thursday that the goal of the rally was to remind people of the bombing of the prison in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian town of Olenivka almost a year ago. It held captured Ukrainians, mainly members of the Azov battalion who defended the Azovstal plant in Mariupol.

“One year on from the Olenivka tragedy. One of the war's atrocities and uninvestigated crimes and, in fact, somewhat forgotten crimes,” he told reporters.

"We probably often ask ourselves how important it is to come to this Mordor building and do something when they don't hear anything and they don’t care about anything, but on the other hand it is important for the families, it is important for the people," Kasciunas added.

At least 50 Ukrainian soldiers were killed and many more wounded in the bombing in Olenivka. In January, the United Nations suspended its mission to investigate the attack.

In response, Kasciunas said he had collected 64 signatures of the Seimas members, which would be sent to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday to request the reopening of the investigation.

"It is complicated with the United Nations. Russia's influence is huge, inertia is huge, but at least we have to bring this to the attention, to take action, because Lithuania will always be in the front row,” Kasciunas said.

Kyiv blames Russian-controlled forces and Moscow blames the Ukrainian army for the explosion in Olenivka prison a year ago.

By Greta Zulonaitė

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Army exercise in Lithuania's Klaipeda involved firing at sea targets

VILNIUS, Jul 27, BNS – The ongoing international Exercise Barbara's Resolve 23-II at the Kairiai training area in Klaipeda involved combat firing at targets located at sea, the Lithuanian army said on Thursday.

Members of the Brigadier General Motiejus Peciulionis Artillery Battalion and reserve soldiers undergoing active military training at the battalion to update their knowledge and practical skills in the field of artillery fired shots at the sea with 105 mm M50 howitzers.

Allies from the United States are reportedly also taking part in the exercise, using M109A6 Paladin artillery systems, and troops from Slovakia fired from Zuzana 2 self-propelled 155 mm howitzers, the statement reads.

The firing tasks were reportedly carried out from two different positions, with projectiles flying over the Curonian Lagoon and the Curonian Spit at an altitude of approximately two kilometers, and falling into the Baltic Sea within a few kilometers of the shoreline.

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Ukrainian woman allowed to stay in Lithuania after saying that Crimea belongs to Russia (media)

VILNIUS, Jul 27, BNS - A Ukrainian woman who stated in her visa renewal questionnaire that Crimea belongs to Russia has been allowed to stay in Lithuania, the Vilnius Regional Administrative Court has ruled.

The ruling was issued after the court examined a complaint by Viktorya M., a Ukrainian who has been living in Lithuania for two years, against the Migration Department's ban for her to live in the country, the 15min.lt news website reports.

In March, the 38-year-old woman, who is originally from Donetsk, was notified by the Migration Department that her residence permit had not been renewed in accordance with the article of the Law on the Legal Status of Aliens, prohibiting a foreigner from entering Lithuania, if they may pose a threat to national security or public order.

The State Security Department produced a negative conclusion in the woman's case after she filled in her visa renewal application form and stated in it that Crimea was part of Russia. The SSD stated that such an answer meant that the foreigner backed Russia's military aggression against Ukraine and the occupation of its territories.

However, when hearing the woman's complaint, the court pointed out that she answered another question in the form and stated that she did not support Russia's military aggression against Ukraine. The court ruled that when assessing whether a person poses a threat to national security, the Migration Department should not automatically transpose the SSD's conclusion into a decision, but should assess all circumstances and take information about the person's family, work and the violations committed into account.

The court let the Ukrainian stay in Lithuania. The ruling can still be appealed, but the Migration Department has decided not to do so, according to 15min.

By Milena Andrukaitytė

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Lithuanian federation expresses solidarity with Ukrainian fencer Kharlan

VILNIUS, Jul 27, BNS – The Lithuanian Fencing Federation has expressed solidarity with Ukrainian fencer Olha Kharlan, who was disqualified for not shaking the hand of her beaten Russian opponent Anna Smirnova at the Fencing World Championships on Thursday.

Four-time sabre world champion Kharlan defeated Smirnova and refused to shake her opponent's hand at the end of the match.

"Of course we express [solidarity]. I myself as an athlete was also supposed to go to the championship ..., but I told my coach right away that if I face a Russian athlete, I will definitely not fight," fencer Paulina Bajorunaite-Stauske, a public relations representative of the Lithuanian Fencing Federation, told BNS.

"We definitely express solidarity and support," she said.

Kharlan on Thursday became the first athlete officially representing Ukraine to face a Russian or Belarusian opponent since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

Late on Wednesday, the Ukrainian sports ministry changed its previous policy of barring athletes from facing Russians or Belarusians competing as neutrals.

“We support the Ukrainians in any case and we are angry with the International Fencing Federation for allowing them [Russians and Belarusians athletes] to take part in the first place, because the European Federation has decided that there will be no Russians or Belarusians in their competitions," Bajorunaite-Stauske said.

The new policy says Ukrainians cannot face athletes who "represent the Russian Federation and Belarus".

Smirnova was competing as a neutral.

According to Bajorunaite-Stauske, the four athletes representing Lithuania at the championships – Vikte Azukaite, Olivija Masalo, Lurde Grabovskyte and Leonardas Kalininas – will not have to face athletes from Russia and Belarus.

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Upcoming events in Lithuania for Friday, July 28, 2023

VILNIUS, Jul 27, BNS – The following events are scheduled in Lithuania for Friday, July 28, 2023:

FOREIGN MINISTER Gabrielius Landsbergis to meet with Latvia’s ambassador to Lithuania.

INTERIOR MINISTRY to hold a news conference at 10.30 a.m. on the issue of Lithuanian citizenship of ice dancer Margarita Drobiazko, with Deputy Interior Minister Arnoldas Abramavicius due to provide a summary of information received from all responsible authorities.

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LITHUANIA DAILY NEWS BULLETIN

IN THIS ISSUE:

1. Upcoming events in Lithuania for Thursday, July 20, 2023
2. Four irregular migrants turned away on Lithuania's border with Belarus
3. Lithuania’s intermin to attend informal meeting of EU home affairs ministers in Spain
4. 17 new vans to be handed over to Lithuanian police authorities, two – to Moldova, Ukraine (expands)
5. Banned luxury cars being shipped to Russia via Lithuania (media)
6. Lithuania reports 23 new COVID-19 cases, no deaths
7. Lithuania's EU commissioner: we see that sanctions are being circumvented
8. Lithuania's Olympic champion Valiulis dies aged 63
9. Five politicians vie for Lithuanian Liberal Movement leadership
10. Lithuania rejects Russia's request to ease EU sanctions for Ukrainian grain exports
11. Lithuania hopes for Russia-style sanctions for Belarus
12. US destroyer visits Lithuania's Klaipeda
13. Expert: Latvia, Estonia put their interests ahead as regards faster Baltic synchronization
14. Lithuanian PM discusses Ukraine support, regional security in Munich
15. Ex-FCIS chief's case reaches court in Lithuania
16. Lithuanian army takes delivery of another 53 Peugeot Rifters, 34 Unimog trucks
17. Allegedly leaked NATO summit data linked to hacking in Lithuania – center
18. Troops from Lithuania's King Mindaugas Hussar Battalion seen off to Iraq mission
19. Lithuanian Red Cross condemns Belarusian organization for bringing children from Ukraine
20. Lithuanian president presents credentials to ambassadors to Belgium, Kazakhstan, Israel
21. Lithuanian president proposes life sentences for coup organizers
22. Lifosa workers to stage rally outside Lithuanian govt office as they fear losing jobs

Upcoming events in Lithuania for Thursday, July 20, 2023

VILNIUS, Jul 20, BNS – The following events are scheduled in Lithuania for Thursday, July 20, 2023:

PRESIDENT Gitanas Nauseda to remotely meet with a candidate for the post of Head of the Diplomatic Mission of the Republic of Lithuania at 11 a.m.; to present credentials to Ambassador to Belgium Dainius Petras Kamaitis at 1 p.m.; to present credentials to Ambassador Kazakhstan Egidijus Navikas at 1.45 p.m.; to present credentials to Ambassador to Israel Audrius Bruzga at 2.30 p.m.

SPEAKER OF THE SEIMAS Viktorija Cmilyte-Nielsen to meet with Estonian Ambassador Kai Kaarelson at 3 p.m.

PRIME MINISTER Ingrida Simonyte to have breakfast with representatives of Munich-based think-tanks in Germany at 10 a.m.; to meet with German business representatives at 11.15 a.m.

INTERIOR MINISTER Agne Bilotaite to attend an informal meeting of EU home affairs ministers in Spain.

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

VILNIUS, Jul 20, BNS –  Lithuanian border guards have in the past 24 hours turned away four migrants attempting to cross into the country from Belarus illegally, the State Border Guard Service (SBGS) said on Thursday morning.

Latvia reported 60 attempts at illegal border crossings on Wednesday, and 187 irregular migrants were not allowed into Poland on Tuesday, according to the latest available information.

A total of 1,315 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 almost 20,700 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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Lithuania’s intermin to attend informal meeting of EU home affairs ministers in Spain

VILNIUS, Jul 20, BNS – Lithuanian Interior Minister Agne Bilotaite on Thursday leaves for a two-day visit to Spain, where she will take part in an informal meeting of the European Union's (EU) home affairs ministers.

At the meeting, Bilotaite will discuss the fight against organized crime and drug trafficking, the Interior Ministry said in a press release. The interior minister will pay particular attention to the prevalence and prevention of the use of narcotic substances by minors.

According to Bilotaite, the scale of illicit drug trafficking is increasing and the problem of distribution and use is a topical issue among young people and in schools.

EU home affairs ministers will also discuss necessary legislative regulatory changes to create a safer digital environment.

The EU ministers' meeting will also focus on the European Union's response to irregular migration and the internal security challenges related to Russia's aggression against Ukraine.

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17 new vans to be handed over to Lithuanian police authorities, two – to Moldova, Ukraine (expands)

VILNIUS, Jul 20, BNS – Nineteen new vans will be handed over to police authorities in Vilnius on Thursday.

The new Mercedes-Benz Vito response vans have been equipped and adapted for police functions.

The Police Department told BNS that 17 vehicles would be handed over to Lithuanian police authorities, while two vehicles would be handed over to Ukrainian and Moldovan police on humanitarian grounds.

The 19 vehicles cost nearly 1.4 million euros in total and were purchased from manufacturers' representatives in Lithuania.

According to the Police Department, the police fleet currently consists of almost 1,700 vehicles, including 800 response vehicles, the average age of which is 5.1 years.

Public procurement of 20 more response vans of a similar type is currently being finalized. Once contracted, they are expected to be delivered in 2024.

According to the police, at least 4 million euros is required annually for the continuous renewal of the police fleet of response vehicles in order to maintain an acceptable fleet condition, while the continuous renewal of the entire fleet would require at least up to 7 million euros per year. Only 1.8 million euros has been allocated for the renewal of the police fleet this year.

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Banned luxury cars being shipped to Russia via Lithuania (media)

VILNIUS, Jul 20, BNS – High-end cars continue to be shipped to Russia despite being among the banned luxury goods, and Lithuania is also being used to circumvent sanctions, the news portal of the LRT national broadcaster reported on Thursday.

According to the news website, from Lithuania, high-end vehicles can be brought to Russia through the neighboring countries, the leader among them being Belarus as the value of cars exported to that country last year soared 3.5 times to 584 million euros, from 169 million euros in 2021. In the first quarter of this year, these exports exceeded 200 million euros.

According to the Customs Department, 30,000 cars have already left Lithuania for Belarus this year, compared to 33,000 in the whole of last year.

Meanwhile, the Russian public domain is full of car dealers who openly explain that the only way to bring a car to Russia is via Lithuania and Belarus, including the port of Klaipeda. LRT also found a channel on the Telegram social network where luxury cars with Lithuanian transit plates are sold.

Audrius Valeika, Deputy Director of the Financial Crime Investigation Service (FCIS), told LRT that such a route could be seen as a breach of sanctions.

Last year, the European Union banned the sale of luxury goods to Russia, including caviar, cigars, precious stones, crystal products and vehicles with a market value of more than 50,000 euros.

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Lithuania reports 23 new COVID-19 cases, no deaths

VILNIUS, Jul 20, BNS – Lithuania has recorded 23 new coronavirus infections and no deaths from COVID-19 over the past 24 hours, official statistics showed on Thursday morning.

The number of COVID-19 patients in hospitals now stands at 13, including one ICU case.

The 14-day primary infection rate has edged up to 6.7 cases per 100,000 people, with the seven-day percentage of positive tests at 6.3 percent.

The number of new coronavirus cases hit the peak in Lithuania in early February 2022 when more than 14,000 new infections were recorded daily.

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

Some 68.5 percent of people in the country have received at least one coronavirus vaccine jab so far, according to the statistics.

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Lithuania's EU commissioner: we see that sanctions are being circumvented

VILNIUS, Jul 20, BNS – The European Union (EU) sees that its sanctions against Russia are being circumvented and is trying to prevent that, Lithuania's European Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevicius has said.

“There is constant monitoring of what has been implemented. We see that sanctions are being circumvented and we are constantly cooperating with Ukraine as well as with other countries through which sanctions are potentially being circumvented", he told the Ziniu Radijas news radio on Thursday.

According to the commissioner, the EU is trying to prevent sanctions violations by giving priority to dual-use goods that could be used in Russia's military industry.  

"What is, let’s say, within the specific sphere of influence of the European Union, we are trying to prevent any circumvention of the sanctions, and first of all, of course, the sanctions are aimed at preventing Russia from producing additional ammunition, additional missiles, additional drones, and the sanctions are mostly targeted at those dual-use goods," Sinkevicius said.

The EU has already adopted 11 sanctions packages since the start of the war in Ukraine, and more could follow in the future, but, according to Sinkevicius, it is too early to talk about them.

“It is too early to speculate on new packages,” he noted.

By Valdas Pryšmantas

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Lithuania's Olympic champion Valiulis dies aged 63

VILNIUS, Jul 20, BNS – Lithuania's Olympic champion runner Remigijus Valiulis died on Wednesday at the age of 63, Nijole Medvedeva, secretary general of the Athletics Federation of Lithuania, posted on her Facebook account.

The track and field athlete won a gold medal in the 4×400 meter relay for the Soviet Union at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. H also finished third in the European Athletics Indoor Championships the same year.

Valiulis still holds the Lithuanian 400 m record of 45.73 seconds and he broke the record for this distance eight times during his career. 

Valiulis worked as a coach and lecturer after ending his career as an athlete.

By Sniegė Balčiūnaitė

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Five politicians vie for Lithuanian Liberal Movement leadership

VILNIUS, Jul 20, BNS – Five politicians run for the leadership of the Lithuanian Liberal Movement, part of the ruling majority, the party reported on Thursday.

The current leader of the party, Speaker of the Seimas Viktorija Cmilyte-Nielsen, has already announced that she will seek re-election for a third term.

Other candidates include four members of the party’s Vilnius division: Vytautas Danilevicius, member of the division’s council, private investor Benediktas Krasniauskas, Egle Radvile, one of the candidates for the mayor position of Vilnius in the latest mayoral election and the head of the CIO.LT/IT executives club, and dental practitioner Vytautas Tamosiunas.

Direct election of the new chair of the party will be held electronically on September 4-8, as ruled by the party’s council.

The leader of the Liberal Movement is elected for a two-year term.

The Liberal Movement currently has 13 seats in the Lithuanian Seimas and two ministerial portfolios.

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Lithuania rejects Russia's request to ease EU sanctions for Ukrainian grain exports

VILNIUS, Jul 20, BNS - Lithuania rejects Russia's request to ease the existing EU sanctions in exchange for an agreement on the safe export of Ukrainian grain via the Black Sea.

"A blackmailer is only as strong as we allow him to be," Lithuanian Foreign Vice Minister Jovita Neliupsiene, now in Brussels, told the public radio LRT on Thursday. "I don't think we should rush into making any concessions because if we give a finger, we will probably get our whole hand cut off."

She made the remarks as EU diplomatic leaders were due to discuss the war in Ukraine and the EU's measures in Brussels later in the day.

An EU diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the LRT that the EU was ready to listen to Russia's requests referred by the United Nations to renew Ukraine's grain export agreement, and lifting part of the sanctions against Moscow is one of them.

Tthe Kremlin withdrew from this agreement earlier this week.

"This is not the first time we have seen blackmail. This attempt to use grain, foodstuffs, food security as a weapon proves once again that there's no limit to Russian aggression and Russian action," Neliupsiene said. "I don't think sanction easing would solve the problem."

Nevertheless, the West must look for ways to ensure Ukrainian grain exports, she pointed out.

"We could export more than 25 million tons of grain through Baltic ports," the vice minister said.

Earlier this week, the CEO of the Lithuanian seaport of Klaipeda said Lithuania could receive more than 10 million tons of grain, but bringing it to the port was still a major issue.

According to Algis Latakas, Klaipeda now has a capacity of accepting 10-15 million tons of grain, including Lithuania's grain exports of around 3.5 million tons. 

Ukrainian grain was temporarily exported via other EU countries last year following the outbreak of war in Ukraine and Russia's blockade of Ukraine's Black Sea port.

By Augustas Stankevičius

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Lithuania hopes for Russia-style sanctions for Belarus

VILNIUS, Jul 20, BNS - As the EU mulls a new package of sanctions for Belarus, Lithuania hopes the latest restrictions will be similar to those imposed on Russia.

"We have the Commission's proposal, and we are in agreement that the sanctions should cover dual-use goods, high technology and aviation," Lithuanian Foreign Vice Minister Jovita Neliupsiene, now in Brussels, told the public radio LRT on Thursday.

"We expect them to be the same or very close to what we have in those areas for Russia," she added.

In her words, the continued involvement of Belarus in the Russian-induced war in Ukraine, the deteriorating human rights situation in the country and its assistance to the Kremlin to circumvent the existing sanctions are all reasons for such a move.

"If we don't close this hole, we probably won't be able to stop the flow of that river," she said.

Diplomats say the new sanctions on Belarus should be a stepping stone towards a broader agreement on a larger sanction package.

"We have, of course, always stood and will continue to stand for the fact that sanctions for Belarus should mirror those for Russia," Neliupsiene said.

The latest sanctions are expected to be adopted next week.

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US destroyer visits Lithuania's Klaipeda

VILNIUS, Jul 20, BNS – USS Roosevelt, an American Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, arrived in the Lithuanian seaport of Klaipeda on Thursday, the army said, adding that this is the ship's second call at Klaipeda this year after it also visited the Lithuanian port in January.

This time the ship's visit has to do with the NATO summit that took place in Vilnius earlier this month.

The ship's Commander Jeffrey Chewning is scheduled to meet with Lithuania's Navy Commander Captain (Navy) Giedrius Premeneckas, Klaipeda Mayor Arvydas Vaitkus, and its crew will take part in the ceremonial march of participants of the annual Sea Festival on Friday evening, and also partake in other events.

The Arleigh Burke-class ship's armament consists of various types of torpedoes, rockets, artillery and machine gun systems. Two Sea Hawk helicopters are deployed on deck to support the ship's missions and operations.

The ship's crew consists of more than 300 officers, NCOs and sailors.

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Expert: Latvia, Estonia put their interests ahead as regards faster Baltic synchronization

VILNIUS, Jul 20, BNS – Latvia’s and Estonia's doubts about joint withdrawal from the Russian-controlled energy system (BRELL) agreement with Lithuania are a case of putting national interests ahead of regional projects, energy expert and ex-energy minister Arvydas Sekmokas has said.

"We can see that national interests far outweigh regional interests and, in my opinion, it is exactly the same in the synchronization project," he told the LRT Radio.

On Wednesday, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda invited his Latvian counterpart to speed up the synchronization of the country's electricity grid with that of continental Europe but Edgars Rinkevics said that it was necessary to find the most economically and technically advantageous way for each country.

Sekmokas described Latvia's position as a diplomatic maneuver, showing its unwillingness to find a common solution for the Baltic countries and to join Estonia, which hopes to synchronize with the Scandinavian countries.

“Apparently, this position is purely a diplomatic maneuver because, in principle, if we withdraw from the BRELL agreement, it is not necessary to switch off the power lines with Belarus at the beginning of 2024, but it is possible to switch them off in the summer or even in the fall of 2024, and at the same time, without having to wait for 2025. This is Latvia's position – it does not seem to be inclined to look for that common consensus, but rather to support Estonia and to take a position that is not in favor of regional projects," Sekmokas said.

"Estonia may have hopes to synchronize with Scandinavia via Finland and is not willing to accept synchronization in 2024, it wants to postpone it to 2025 and possibly beyond," he added.

Lithuania aims to disconnect from the common electricity system including the Baltic States, Russia and Belarus before December 2025. The country would like to do so in February 2024 and synchronize power grids with those of Continental Europe. Meanwhile, Latvia and Estonia intend to meet the end deadline.

Signed in February 2001, the BRELL agreement defines how the Baltic states, Russia and Belarus operate within the IPS/UPS system, or the so-called BRELL ring, in which Moscow regulates electricity frequency.

By Valdas Pryšmantas

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Lithuanian PM discusses Ukraine support, regional security in Munich

VILNIUS, Jul 20, BNS – Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte discussed cooperation with the German State of Bavaria, support for Ukraine, and regional security in Munich on Thursday.

During her two-day visit, Simonyte met with Prime Minister of Bavaria Markus Soder, President of the Christian Democratic Union of Germany Friedrich Merz, representatives of think tanks and experts, as well as business representatives, the government said in a press release.

The Lithuanian prime minister and Soder discussed cooperation between Lithuania and Bavaria, the security situation in the region, support for Ukraine, bilateral relations between Lithuania and Germany and their development in the fields of economy, security and culture.

"Russia's war continues to cause suffering and destruction in Ukraine and instability in the region, but our ability as allies to react, agree and work together for common security is a positive sign of Lithuania's strong relationship with Germany. Here in Bavaria, we see great potential to further increase our cooperation ranging from financial services and culture to industry and high-tech sectors," the press release quoted Simonyte as saying.

The meeting focused on security in the region and Germany's contribution thereto.

According to Simonyte, Germany's decision to deploy a permanent brigade in Lithuania is important for the security of NATO's eastern flank and the Alliance as a whole.

She added that Lithuania will continue to develop the necessary infrastructure and will ensure that all conditions are in place to implement this agreement as soon as possible.

According to the press release, Bavaria is important for innovation-oriented Lithuanian exporters, traditional sectors, life sciences and laser industry.

Lithuania-Germany relations are expected to be further strengthened, inter alia, by the opening of a consulate general in Munich, the capital of Bavaria, by the end of this year.

Simonyte also met with representatives of German businesses and discussed opportunities for investment and business development in Lithuania.

Germany is one of Lithuania's main trade and security partners.

Berlin has been leading the NATO International Allied Battalion deployed in the country since 2017 and is planning to deploy a brigade of troops in Lithuania.

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Ex-FCIS chief's case reaches court in Lithuania

VILNIUS, Jul 20, BNS - The case of Kestutis Jucevicius, the former head of Lithuania's Financial Crime Investigation Service, in which he is charged of influence peddling, has reached court.

According to the investigation, Jucevicius demanded, agreed to accept and accepted a bribe of 2,000 euros, allegedly to use his connections or exert other probable influence on public servants, as he vowed to influence FCIS officers so that act illegally and change the procedural status of a person in a pre-trial investigation conducted by the service.

The former FCIS chief was arrested by the Special Investigation Service in January soon after taking the alleged bribe. After questioning, he was released under a written promise not to leave.

He's facing up to five years in prison. His case has been transferred to the Vilnius City District Court.

Jucevicius led the FCIS in 2012-2017 and retired the internal service after his term expired.

In 2018, Jucevicius entered politics and was a member of the Lithuanian Social Democratic Party for a while.

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Lithuanian army takes delivery of another 53 Peugeot Rifters, 34 Unimog trucks

VILNIUS, Jul 20, BNS – A new batch of cargo trucks and multi-purpose vehicles has been delivered to the Lithuanian Armed Forces, the Defense Ministry said on Thursday.

Fifty-three Peugeot Rifter multi-purpose vehicles were handed over to the army.

A total of 90 of these vehicles have been delivered to the Armed Forces so far, with the remainder expected to reach various army units by the end of the year.

Lithuania is procuring a total of 235 vehicles of this type. The total value of the purchase amounts to nearly 6.5 million euros.

The Lithuanian Armed Forces have also received 34 Mercedes-Benz Unimog trucks with a payload capacity of five tons.

A total of 124 such vehicles are to be delivered under a contract signed in 2021 between the Defense Materiel Agency under the Defense Ministry and the German manufacturer Daimler Trucks AG, together with the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA).

The value of this acquisition has not been disclosed and the Defense Ministry intends to make it public once the procurement is complete.

Lithuania has purchased these trucks in the past. Since 2015, the country has paid around 80 million euros for 382 such vehicles.

The Peugeot Rifter vehicles are intended for daily tasks – transporting logistics specialists of various units of the Lithuanian Armed Forces, such as suppliers, cargo and personnel, during non-combat exercises.

The design of these vehicles meets the requirements for multi-tasking.

The Unimog military vehicles, manufactured by Germany's Daimler Trucks AG, were purchased as part of the continued modernization of the Lithuanian Armed Forces and the renewal of its truck fleet.  

The Unimog trucks are among the most used vehicles by Lithuanian troops for routine tasks, logistical support and personnel transportation, according to the ministry.

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Allegedly leaked NATO summit data linked to hacking in Lithuania – center

VILNIUS, Jul 20, BNS – The allegedly leaked data on last week's NATO summit in Vilnius is linked to the recent hacking into Lithuanian government systems, the National Crisis Management Center told BNS on Thursday.

"The police are continuing their pre-trial investigation, so I cannot comment on it. However, the seriousness of the issue is likely to be greater than initially thought. (...) Yes, a cyber incident was recorded, but the extent of the damage done is still being determined," said Vilmantas Vitkauskas, who leads the center. "Certain weaknesses, vulnerabilities in the systems were exploited."

The government chancellor has also turned to the Commission for Secrets Protection Coordination to assess the authenticity and sensitivity of the published documents, the NCMC head said.

"The institutions whose documents were leaked have been asked to assess them and looked whether they were fully leaked or partially leaked with some forgery thrown in," Vitkauskas said.

Alleged leaks of information about the organization of the NATO summit emerged on the social network Telegram as the Vilnius Summit was drawing to a close.

The hackers, under the name "From Russia with love", claimed to have accessed the summit organizers' information on the summit's security, including the names of the officials in charge, the delegations' movement routes, the security systems used etc.

The leaked information includes some thirty documents with information on the specific hotels where the heads of state and delegations stayed, their airport arrival times, the names of leaders' security guards, the types of weapons they carried, and the specifications of their communications equipment.

The names of snipers from the ARAS, Lithuanian police anti-terrorist operations unit, were also made public, as well as the minutes of the security group meetings in the run-up to the summit, and the decisions on airspace, traffic, and transit restrictions between Russia and Belarus that were being planned at the time.

The State Security Department carried out the incident's initial assessment in accordance with its competences, and the police later opened a pre-trial investigation into the incident.

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Troops from Lithuania's King Mindaugas Hussar Battalion seen off to Iraq mission

VILNIUS, Jul 20, BNS – Troops from Lithuania's King Mindaugas Hussar Battalion were seen off to their mission in Iraq on Thursday, the army said.

The ceremony in Panevezys, northern Lithuania, was attended by Defense Minister Arvydas Anusauskas, Chief of the Defense Staff of the Lithuanian Armed Forces Mindaugas Steponavicius, Commander of the Lithuanian Land Force Arturas Radvilas, and other guests.

"NATO's military engagement in Iraq is a key contribution to the international fight against terrorism. We are committed to strengthening Iraqi forces and prevent the return of the Islamic State. This is important both for Iraq's and the region's security, as well as for our own security. After the mission, the troops will return with improved and new knowledge as they learn the most being on the battlefield, and carrying out real tasks on the ground," Anusauskas was  quoted as saying in the statement.

Lithuanian troops will serve for six-months in Baghdad as part of an international battalion alongside Danish, Polish and Spanish troops.

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Lithuanian Red Cross condemns Belarusian organization for bringing children from Ukraine

VILNIUS, Jul 20, BNS – The Lithuanian Red Cross on Thursday condemned the Belarus Red Cross for bringing Ukrainian children from Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine to Belarus.

"We condemn such activities of the Belarus Red Cross, which discredit the entire Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. These actions not only deliberately disregard the organization's statutory obligations and principles within the framework of the International Movement, but are also in flagrant violation of international humanitarian law," the organization said in a statement.

The Lithuanian Red Cross says that it has urgently appealed to the International Committee of the Red Cross and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies to take action to stop such activities.

Both Ukraine and the Belarusian opposition have decried the transfer of Ukrainian children as unlawful deportations, and there have been calls for international war crimes charges for the authoritarian Belarus leader, Alexander Lukashenko, similar to the charges against Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The actions of the Belarus Red Cross drew stern criticism from the International Federation of Red and Red Crescent Societies.

A report aired Wednesday by the state Belarus 1 TV channel showed Dzmitry Shautsou, the head of the Belarus Red Cross, visiting the Russian-held Ukrainian city of Lysychansk in the Luhansk region.

In the footage, he says the organization is actively involved in bringing Ukrainian children to Belarus for “health improvement” purposes.

“The Belarus Red Cross has taken — and is taking, and will be taking — an active part in it,” Shautsou said.

For its part, the Lithuanian Red Cross noted that during these visits Shautsou was seen wearing camouflage clothing with a patch with the letter "Z", which in the context of war is widely recognized as a symbol of aggression against Ukraine.

"This person has for some time now not been shying away from speaking out in public, clearly demonstrating support for Russia's aggression against Ukraine and even nuclear rhetoric," the Lithuanian Red Cross stressed.

Belarus has been Moscow’s closest ally since Russia's invasion started in February 2022, with Lukashenko allowing the Kremlin to use Belarusian territory to send troops and weapons into Ukraine. Lukashenko has also welcomed a Russian military presence in Belarus and the deployment of Russia’s tactical nuclear weapons there.

Belarusian opposition figures have accused Lukashenko of facilitating the forcible transfer of Ukrainian children to Belarus, allegations Minsk angrily rejected.

The Belarus Red Cross is the biggest humanitarian organization in Belarus and is part of the international Red Cross movement.

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Lithuanian president presents credentials to ambassadors to Belgium, Kazakhstan, Israel

VILNIUS, Jul 20, BNS – Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda on Thursday presented credentials to the country's ambassadors to Belgium, Kazakhstan and Israel.

The president the newly appointed Ambassador to Belgium Dainius Petras Kamaicius discussed the goals of bilateral cooperation and the specific results to be achieved.

The President underlined the importance of further strengthening security and defense ties, especially by maintaining and expanding cooperation in the area of air defense, as well as within the NATO forward presence mission in Lithuania. These areas, according to the president, are also the basis for bilateral cooperation with NATO allies, according to a statement released by the presidential press service.

The potential for strengthening economic ties, cooperation within high-tech sectors, science and innovation was also discussed during the meeting, and the President stressed the importance of strengthening ties with the Lithuanian communities in Belgium, as well as to honor the memory of victims of totalitarian regimes.

At the meeting with the new ambassador to Kazakhstan, Egidijus Navikas, Nauseda talked about the development and prospects of bilateral political and economic relations.

The president stressed the importance of making use of the potential of cooperation with Kazakhstan in transport and logistics, contributing to increasing bilateral trade and expanding exports of Lithuanian goods and services. Nauseda also stressed the need to strengthen cooperation between Lithuania and Kazakhstan in the area of education and science, and to fully promote and maintain relations with the Lithuanian community.

During the meting with Lithuania's new Ambassador to Israel Audrius Bruzga, Nauseda stressed the importance of strengthening political relations and developing economic and technological cooperation, emphasizing the development of high-technology-based business and the opening of Israel's start-up ecosystem to Lithuanian innovators.

Nauseda noted that it is of utmost importance to strengthen strategic cooperation with Israel, based on trust and equal partnership. The president stressed the importance of fostering cultural and historical memory, presenting the most outstanding examples of Lithuanian art and culture, and pursuing joint ongoing cultural programs. It’s also important to promote inbound tourism by Israelis to Lithuania, the president said.

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Lithuanian president proposes life sentences for coup organizers

VILNIUS, Jul 20, BNS – Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda will propose to the Seimas to introduce stricter penalties for crimes against the state, including life imprisonment.

On Thursday, the presidential office said it had drafted amendments to the Criminal Code, aimed at updating the definitions of crimes against the state and setting proportionate punishments for the most dangerous crimes that undermine Lithuania's constitutional foundations.

Under the draft, criminal liability would apply to the seizure, purchase or other collection of official secrets and other information that could be used to undermine fundamental constitutional values, with the aim of transferring it to foreign intelligence authorities.

Currently, the seizure of a state secret with intent to transfer it to a foreign state is the only offense punishable by up to 15 years in prison.

Nauseda also proposes introducing life sentences for the organizers of or participants in a coup d'état. Currently, the maximum prison penalty for this offense is 20 years.

Under the bill, collaboration with an occupying power should be punishable by prison terms of up to 15 years, instead of the existing five years, and participation in the activities of anti-constitutional groups and organizations should be punishable by prison terms ranging from five to 15 years, from the existing range of three to then years.

If a person participates in an armed organization with the aim of changing the constitutional order of Lithuania or violating its territorial integrity, the president proposes that such persons should face prison sentences ranging from eight years to life imprisonment, and the organizers of such groups should face prison sentences ranging from 12 years to life imprisonment.

"(...) The bill has been drafted in response to the information provided by national intelligence institutions on Russia's continued efforts to interfere in Lithuania's internal affairs with the aim of destabilizing democratic processes," the statement reads.

Lithuania's intelligence institutions stated in their annual assessment of threats to national security, published earlier this year, the Kremlin is seeking to maintain its influence in Lithuania and is, therefore, taking initiatives to present Russia as an attractive alternative to the Western orientation chosen by Lithuania's society.

In the president's view, there's a risk that both pro-Russian Lithuanian citizens and Russian citizens in Lithuania may encroach on the independence, territorial integrity and constitutional order of the State of Lithuanian.

Belarus, whose intelligence services actively recruit Belarusian citizens coming to Lithuania, poses essentially similar threats, the Lithuanian president said.

"The hope is that the proposed amendments to the Criminal Code will ensure more effective protection of the legal goods – independence, territorial integrity and constitutional order – that are crucial for the existence of the state and will enable courts to impose fair sentences in specific criminal cases," the presidential office said.

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Lifosa workers to stage rally outside Lithuanian govt office as they fear losing jobs

VILNIUS, Jul 20, BNS – Workers of Lifosa, Lithuania's sanctioned Kedainiai-based phosphate fertilizer plant, will hold a rally outside the government office in central Vilnius as they fear losing their jobs after the shareholders threatened to temporarily close the plant.

The company has confirmed that its trade unions and management have already agreed that consultations on the job cuts and their consequences will start on August 2.

The rally is scheduled to start at noon on July 26 and up to 500 people are expected to attend, Gabrielius Grubinskas of Vilnius Municipality told BNS on Thursday. 

Kristina Krupaviciene, chairwoman of Solidarumas (Solidarity), a trade union, says the rally, which is being organized in cooperation with Lifosa workers' independent trade union, is aimed at protecting the company from the planned closure, as well as demanding softer international sanction rules.

Lifosa said on Thursday it supports the rally as its workers will raise issues and seek answers from the authorities about the fate of their jobs.

On July 3, Russian-owned EuroChem, Lifosa's owner, said the plant might be temporarily mothballed. It also said that failure to agree with the country's authorities on the normalization of the company's operations would led to consultations on the plant's overall fate.

The decision followed more than a year of supply chain disruptions and raw material shortages after the government imposed sanctions on Lifosa and appointed an interim administrator, it said in a statement.

It also said that some employees would be retained during the mothballing period, and the group would look for possibilities to put Lifosa back into operation.

Lifosa had already lost around 100 million euros in revenue since the existing restrictions were introduced more than a year ago, Andrii Savchuk, Lifosa's CEO and an employee of its shareholder EuroChem, said in June.

According to data from Lithuania's state social insurance fund Sodra, Lifosa currently employs 908 people.

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