LITHUANIA DAILY NEWS BULLETIN

IN THIS ISSUE:

1. Upcoming events in Lithuania for Friday, March 18, 2022
2. Lithuania turns away 15 irregular migrants on border with Belarus
3. Lithuania reports 5,384 new COVID-19 cases, 7 deaths
4. Lithuanian Orthodox Church condemns Russia's war against Ukraine  (expands)
5. Over 20,000 war refugees from Ukraine register in Lithuania so far 
6. Minister: thousands of IT professionals from Russia, Belarus on their way to Lithuania  
7. Minister: more Russian media outlets consider setting up in Lithuania 
8. Lithuanian president expects parties to agree soon on higher defense spending
9. Lithuanian minister: defense strategy in NATO's eastern flank must be rewritten
10. We're working hard to host more allied troops – Lithuanian president
11. Lithuania restricts movement of euros to Russia and Belarus – Customs
12. Lithuanian healthmin walks out of WHO meeting after Russia asks to speak
13. Lithuania expels four Russian diplomats in solidarity with Ukraine
14. Lithuania expels four Russian diplomats in solidarity with Ukraine (expands)
15. Lithuania expels four Russian diplomats in solidarity with Ukraine (further expands)
16. Lithuania's party agreement to include funding for specific defense needs – chair

Upcoming events in Lithuania for Friday, March 18, 2022

VILNIUS, Mar 18, BNS – The following events are scheduled in Lithuania for Friday, March 18, 2022:

PRESIDENT Gitanas Nauseda, CHIEF OF DEFENSE Lieutenant General Valdemaras Rupsys and US Ambassador to Lithuania Robert S. Gilchrist o visit the General Silvestras Zukauskas Training Area in Pabrade District at 10 a.m.; followed by a press conference at 11.30 a.m.

FOREIGN MINISTER Gabrielius Landsbergis to meet with his Norwegian counterpart Anniken Huitfeldt, followed by a joint press conference at 11.30 a.m.

INTERIOR MINISTER Agne Bilotaite to hold a press conference at 10 a.m. on the operaton of registration centers for Ukrainian citizen, migration processes and the coordination of assistance to war refugees from Ukraine.

OTHER EVENTS

Vilnius to host a press conference at 9 a.m. on assistance to Ukrainian people, attended by Lithuanian Minister of Social Security and Labor Monika Navickiene, Kristina Meide, head of the Lithuanian Red Cross, as well as Simonas Gurevicius, head of the Food Bank.

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Lithuania turns away 15 irregular migrants on border with Belarus

VILNIUS, Mar 18, BNS – Lithuanian border guards on Thursday turned away 15 migrants attempting to cross into the country from Belarus illegally, the State Border Guard Service (SBGS) said on Friday morning.

Latvia has recorded five such attempts in the past 24 hours and 32 migrants attempted to cross into Poland on Wednesday, it said in a press release.  

Artillery shots were heard in southern Lithuania on Thursday, believed to have come from Belarus' Gozha training area, according to the SBGS. 

Lithuanian border guards sent more than 8,100 people back to Belarus between last August, when they were given the right to deny entry to irregular migrants, and December. Another 668 people have been turned away since the start of this year. 

However, these include repeated attempts by the same people to cross the border. 

Reinforced controls remain in place on the Lithuanian side of the border.

Almost 4,200 irregular migrants crossed into Lithuania from Belarus last year.  Western countries accuse the Minsk regime of orchestrating the unprecedented migration influx, calling it "hybrid aggression".

According to the Lithuanian Interior Ministry, 2,797 migrants currently live in the country's five foreigner registration centers and almost 1,000 others have been returned to their countries of origin.

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Lithuania reports 5,384 new COVID-19 cases, 7 deaths

VILNIUS, Mar 18, BNS – Lithuania has recorded 5,384 new coronavirus infections and seven deaths from COVID-19 over the past 24 hours, official statistics showed on Friday morning.

Some 4,524 of the new cases were primary, 852 were secondary and eight were tertiary.

The number of COVID-19 patients in hospitals has fallen by around 40 to 1,341, including 67 ICU cases.

Over 985,000 people in Lithuania have contracted the coronavirus since the start of the pandemic, and the death toll has reached around 8,700.

The daily count of new infections had been rising at a rapid pace since late 2021, but took a downward turn in early February after hitting a new high of over 14,000 cases.

A total of 639 people were vaccinated against COVID-19 on Thursday, including 91 with their first dose and 397 with a booster shot.

Some 69.7 percent of the Lithuanian population have received at least one jab so far.

Four of the latest fatalities were not vaccinated. 

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Lithuanian Orthodox Church condemns Russia's war against Ukraine  (expands)

VILNIUS, Mar 18, BNS – The Lithuanian Orthodox Church condemns Russia's war against Ukraine and is determined to seek greater independence from Moscow, Archbishop Innokentiy of Vilnius and Lithuania has said.

"The position of the Orthodox Church in Lithuania remains unchanged: we strongly condemn Russia's war against Ukraine and pray to the Lord to bring it to an end as soon as possible," the head of the Church said in a statement of Thursday evening. 

"As you have probably already noticed, [Russian Orthodox] Patriarch Kirill and I have different political views and perceptions of current events. His political statements about the war in Ukraine are his personal opinion. We in Lithuania do not agree with this," he said. 

In a sermon delivered on February 27, three days after Russia invaded Ukraine, Kirill called Moscow's opponents in Ukraine "evil forces" fighting against "the unity of Russia". 

"I want to say frankly that we, the Orthodox of Lithuania, having the opportunity to decide freely on the internal affairs of the Church, will strive for even greater independence, trusting that the Lord will grant it to our Church in due time," Innokentiy said in the statement. 

"We live in a free democratic state. Lithuania is not Russia. It is a different country, a different society with its own spiritual and moral climate," he said. 

"Although a small minority with barely more than three thousand active parishioners throughout Lithuania, the Orthodox are an integral part of society and are full-fledged citizens of their country, freely practicing their traditional religion."

"Our parishioners are honest and humble people who have worked diligently for many years for the good of the country of Lithuania and have contributed to the creation of a free Lithuania." 

The archbishop noted that the Lithuanian Orthodox Church supported the people of Lithuanian when they defended their state's independence.

"I wonder if those who write and talk about us know everything about the Orthodox? Did they attend services in Lithuanian Orthodox churches and hear how and what Orthodox people pray for?" Innokentiy wrote.  

"In every service the Orthodox pray for our God-protected country of Lithuania, its government, its army and all its people. And today we also pray for an end to this bloody war, for the dead soldiers, for the reign of peace in Ukraine, for the suffering people of the land of Ukraine. We pray and suffer with them!"

Orthodox Christians will remain faithful to Lithuania, will safeguard the unity of the people regardless of their national or confessional identity, will pray for the people of Ukraine and will help refugees, according to the statement.

The Lithuanian Orthodox Church, one of Lithuania's nine traditional religious communities, is a metropolitanate within the Patriarchate of Moscow and All Russia.  

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Over 20,000 war refugees from Ukraine register in Lithuania so far 

VILNIUS, Mar 18, BNS – Some 20,060 war refugees from Ukraine have registered in Lithuania so far, including more than 8,600 minors, the Interior Ministry said on Friday.

Of them, 7,964 have been registered in Vilnius' registration center, 2,312 in Alytus, 1,164 in Klaipeda, 1,045 in Marijampole, 445 in Kaunas, and 811 in Siauliai.

Another 6,319 people have been registered in ten territorial units of the Migration Department. 

Some 2,238 refugees have registered in the past 24 hours alone, including 940 minors.

The majority of war refugees, over 19,500, have applied for a temporary residence permit on humanitarian grounds. Almost 500 are staying in Lithuania under the visa- free regime and 56 others have applied for a national visa. Another nine people have applied for asylum.

According to the United Nations, about 3.2 million citizens have fled Ukraine since Russia invaded the country.

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Minister: thousands of IT professionals from Russia, Belarus on their way to Lithuania  

VILNIUS, Mar 18, BNS – Thousands of IT professionals from Russia and Belarus are expected to arrive in Lithuania in the near future due to the war in Ukraine, Economy and Innovation Minister Ausrine Armonaite said on Friday. 

"In fact, we can talk about thousands of information technology and telecommunication professionals who are coming to Lithuania and are already on their way," she told a news conference. 

According to Armonaite, her ministry cooperates with Russian and Belarusian IT companies that are already present in Lithuania and want to move their offices to the country, and is also in talks on the relocation of unnamed Western companies' units.  

"We are working with two groups: companies that are already present in Lithuania and have their branches there [in Russia and Belarus] and want to relocate their employees and their families, and multinational companies that want to move their operations from these capitals or major cities to Vilnius," the minister said. 

"The situation is extremely sensitive, so for security reasons I cannot and do not want to name any specific multinationals or say how they are going to get to Lithuania," she added. 

By Remigijus Bielinskas

Editor: Roma Pakėnienė

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Minister: more Russian media outlets consider setting up in Lithuania 

VILNIUS, Mar 18, BNS – More media outlets that operated in Russia are considering setting up offices in Lithuania, Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said on Friday after Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) has announced the opening of a bureau in Vilnius.

"I have information that some other media representatives are currently in Lithuania, but when they choose this as a permanent place to work, it will be announced," he said.  

The minister was speaking after meeting with his Norwegian counterpart, Anniken Huitfeldt, to discuss support to Ukraine, the security situation in the region and bilateral cooperation.

According to Landsbergis, Lithuania will remain open to all free media, dissidents and opposition activists looking for "a safe place to live and work".

RFE/RL said on Thursday it was opening news bureaus in Lithuania and Latvia. 

The offices will house teams from its Russia and Belarus services which have suspended their operations amid tightening restrictions on the media in the wake of the Kremlin's invasion of Ukraine.

Lithuania's top diplomat said he hoped that journalists from Kyiv, Minsk and Moscow would be able to continue their work in Lithuania, reporting on what is happening in these countries.

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Lithuanian president expects parties to agree soon on higher defense spending

PABRADE, Lithuania, Mar 18, BNS – Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda expects that political parties will not take long to agree on a new national defense deal and on ramping up defense spending.

"I am convinced that our political parties will very soon agree that we have to pay much more attention to security ourselves," he told reporters in Pabrade on Friday after visiting the US troops stationed in the town close to Vilnius. 

After Russia started its war in Ukraine, even those parties that were previously somewhat skeptical about raising the defense budget have stated very clearly that defense spending must increase, the president said, referring to the Lithuanian Social Democratic Labor Party (LSDLP).

"Now I don't see a single party in Lithuania that is not in favor of increasing defense spending, even in light of all the social and economic challenges that will be partly related to the Ukrainian war," Nauseda said.

"Everyone understands that a country's independence begins and ends with its security. Only in a secure state can we create economic prosperity," he added. 

In the wake of Russia's military invasion of Ukraine, Lithuanian politicians have started working on a new national defense agreement to set out the country's commitments in the area for the next four to five years.

Nauseda suggests raising defense spending to 3 percent of GDP next year. 

The parliament has this year increased the defense budget by almost 300 million euros, bringing it to 2.5 percent of GDP.   

In September 2018, parliamentary parties, except the LSDP, signed an agreement to raise defense funding to 2.5 percent of GDP by 2030. The document also calls for taking decisions in 2022 on the possibility of introducing universal conscription.

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Lithuanian minister: defense strategy in NATO's eastern flank must be rewritten

VILNIUS, Mar 18, BNS – The defense strategy in NATO's eastern flank must be rewritten as Russia continues its war in Ukraine, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said on Friday.

"The whole defense of the eastern flank has to be strategically rewritten and I am very grateful to [...] the [NATO] secretary general, when he says that the plans are being looked at as we speak," Landsbergis told reporters.  

„So, we hope for a fast resolution on that," he added. 

According to Lithuania's top diplomat, the existing deterrent measures were sufficient before Russia's war in Ukraine, because Moscow was not expected to act as aggressively as it is now.

However, Russia has crossed all "red lines", he said.

Landsbergis was speaking after meeting with his Norwegian counterpart, Anniken Huitfeldt, in Vilnius to discuss support to Ukraine, the security situation in the region and bilateral cooperation.

The foreign ministers also discussed further sanctions against Russia.

"We talked about additional pressure on Russia, and we are happy that Norway joined the European sanctions on Russia," Landsbergis said. "We expect that the additional steps will be taken in the future and that the EU and Norway will take these steps together." 

Huitfelt called on Russia to end its "senseless" war in Ukraine.

In Lithuania, the Norwegian minister also visited a registration center for war refugees from Ukraine, saying that her country would also help Ukrainians.

"We will resettle 5,000 refugees to Norway, mostly from Moldova," she said. "Norway will also provide 200 million euros in humanitarian aid."

Huitfelt said she had also met with Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who lives in Lithuania. 

Over 3 million people have fled Ukraine since Russia invaded the country in late February.

Amid increased security threats in the region, Norway and other nations have sent more troops to Lithuania to reinforce NATO's military units deployed in the country. 

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We're working hard to host more allied troops – Lithuanian president

PABRADE, Svencionys District, Lithuania, Mar 18, BNS – Lithuania is working purposefully to create proper conditions for incoming allied troops, President Gitanas Nauseda says.

"We stand ready and we are allocating money and we are working very purposefully to receive not only more Americans, but also more forward presence forces, meaning, specifically other NATO forces here in Lithuania," the president said on Friday after visiting American troops stationed in Pabrade.

In his words, an additional 800-bed camp will be built in Pabrade, while temporary and permanent camps for allied troops are also planned to be built in Kazlu Ruda and Marijampole.

"It will not be the case that troops will arrive and we will not be ready to receive them. We are certainly ready to receive them and we will receive even more," Nauseda said.

The aforementioned campsites will be equipped using additional funds allocated for national defense this year.

US troop deployments

Up until now, over 500 US troops have been stationed in Lithuania at the Pabrade training area in Svencionys District.

In early March, after Russia launched its military invasion of Ukraine, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Vilnius and said that the Americans would deploy an additional 400 troops in Lithuania, bringing short-range air defense and self-propelled artillery systems.

Nauseda says some of these troops have arrived or are arriving in Lithuania.

"These capabilities are already in Lithuania. (...) It seems to me that most of them have already arrived", he said.

According to the army, there are currently around 700 US troops in Pabrade.

"This is a tank unit, a battalion-size unit, reinforced with artillery and short-range systems. It now has both ammunition and its own capability – firepower, maneuver – and could perform combat tasks - defensive and offensive," Chief of Defense of Lithuania Lieutenant General Valdemaras Rupsys said.

Meanwhile, US Ambassador to Lithuania Robert Gilchrist said that in the spring there will be a total of over 1,000 American troops. "What I can say, at some point this spring there will be well over 1,000 American boots on the ground here in various locations," he said.

The US has so far deployed not only troops in Pabrade, but also F-35 fighter jets in Siauliai, northern Lithuania.

Nauseda says that the number of troops to be deployed to the country is not final and it "depends on our capacity and readiness to receive them".

Possible ship reinforcement

The Lithuanian president also said the presence of allied troops was necessary for everyone to see that "the soldiers' boots are on the ground here", adding that even more important is the type of weapons that partners bring with them.

"It is not only important how many additional troops will be sent here, but it is also important that we receive more and more support in terms of military equipment. And what is particularly important for me to hear is that we are slowly starting to do more realistic things in strengthening air defense in Lithuania," Nauseda said.

"Ukraine's experience shows that the air defense component is extremely important. It is probably the best deterrent for our enemies to know that we are well-prepared in this respect", he added.

The deployment of NATO allied ships in Lithuania is also being discussed, the president underlined.

He welcomed the temporary deployment of four UK military helicopters in Siauliai, but insisted that a NATO-level decision will be sought to reinforce air defense on a long-term basis.

"The air policing function is very important, but it is only a partial function that cannot meet all of our needs, therefore, the deployment of the air defense system is also extremely important and this will be done in the coming years", the president said.

NATO and other Western countries have stepped up their focus on Baltic defense in response to the ongoing war in Ukraine after Russian forces invaded the neighboring country in February.

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Lithuania restricts movement of euros to Russia and Belarus – Customs

VILNIUS, Mar 18, BNS – The Lithuanian Customs is restricting the movement of euro banknotes to Russia and Belarus.

Both natural and legal persons are banned from selling, supplying, transferring or exporting euro banknotes to Russia and Belarus, even if they have submitted a cash declaration, Customs said on Friday.

Also, the amount of euro banknotes transported for personal use is also limited.

Exceptions apply only in cases where the transport of cash has to do with diplomatic missions, consular posts or international organizations in Belarus or Russia as they have immunity under international law.

Moreover, natural persons travelling to Belarus or Russia or their immediate family members accompanying them are allowed to have euro banknotes for the personal use.

In such cases, persons are allowed to carry up to 60 euros in euro banknotes for personal use. The same amount applies to euro banknotes carried by employees of legal persons, such as drivers, for their personal use.

There is no limit on the amount of cash carried in other currencies.

If customs officials find that the amount of euro banknotes declared exceeds the allowed, no cash declaration will be produced and the person will be returned to Lithuania with the euro banknotes.

Any person violating the existing rules be subject to administrative liability.

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Lithuanian healthmin walks out of WHO meeting after Russia asks to speak

VILNIUS, Mar 18, BNS – Lithuanian Health Minister Arunas Dulkys walked out of the room during the World Health Organization meeting in Istanbul in protest after Russia requested to speak, which was unplanned.

"Yesterday, ministers made addresses. I left the room in solidarity with Ukraine when Russia asked to speak," Dulkys told BNS on Friday, adding that representatives of other countries did not leave the room.

According to Dulkys, the meeting agenda did not include an address by the Russian deputy health minister.

Istanbul is hosting a meeting on migrant health, organized by the WHO Regional Office for Europe, on March 16-18. However, Dulkys said, the meeting mostly focused on Russia's war in Ukraine.

"Practically, the event became almost exclusively about Ukraine. At least the European countries talked exclusively about Ukraine", the Lithuanian health minister said.

Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in late February.

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Lithuania expels four Russian diplomats in solidarity with Ukraine

VILNIUS, Mar 18, BNS - Lithuania is ending out four Russian diplomats after declaring them undesirable persons, the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry said on Friday.

Lithuania made the decision "in solidarity with Ukraine, which has been facing the unprecedented Russian military aggression".

By Saulius Jakučionis

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Lithuania expels four Russian diplomats in solidarity with Ukraine (expands)

VILNIUS, Mar 18, BNS - Lithuania is sending out four Russian diplomats after declaring them undesirable persons, the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry said on Friday.

Lithuania made the decision "in solidarity with Ukraine, which has been facing the unprecedented Russian military aggression".

Russia's Ambassador to Lithuania Alexey Isakov was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs today and was handed a diplomatic note, declaring four employees of the Russian Embassy to be undesirable persons in Lithuania. They were told to leave Lithuanian within five days.

"Lithuania condemned Russia's military invasion of this country and expressed full support for Ukraine, which is currently fighting the brutal war that the Russian regime is waging against this sovereign state," the ministry said in a statement.

"Russian special services are actively involved in organizing and carrying out the military invasion against Ukraine, posing threat not only to Ukraine's, but also Lithuania's security," the statement reads.

Lithuania calls on Russia to respect international law, abandon the heinous war and further civilian suffering, as well as to withdraw its occupying forces from the entire territory of Ukraine.

Earlier in the day, Bulgaria also announced its decision to expel ten Russian diplomats.

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Lithuania expels four Russian diplomats in solidarity with Ukraine (further expands)

VILNIUS, Mar 18, BNS - Lithuania is sending out four Russian diplomats after declaring them undesirable persons, the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry said on Friday.

Latvia and Estonia are also expelling three Russian diplomats each.

Lithuania made the decision "in solidarity with Ukraine, which has been facing the unprecedented Russian military aggression", the ministry said.

Russia's Ambassador to Lithuania Alexey Isakov was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs today and was handed a diplomatic note, declaring four employees of the Russian Embassy to be undesirable persons in Lithuania for activities incompatible with their diplomatic status. They were told to leave Lithuanian within five days.

"Lithuania condemned Russia's military invasion of this country and expressed full support for Ukraine, which is currently fighting the brutal war that the Russian regime is waging against this sovereign state," the ministry said in a statement.

"Russian special services are actively involved in organizing and carrying out the military invasion against Ukraine, posing threat not only to Ukraine's, but also Lithuania's security," the statement reads.

Lithuania calls on Russia to respect international law, abandon the heinous war and further civilian suffering, as well as to withdraw its occupying forces from the entire territory of Ukraine.

Also on Friday, Latvia's Foreign Ministry said it was sending three Russian diplomats out of the country, declared undesirable persons.

"Current activities of those persons under diplomatic cover are incompatible with their diplomatic status and are causing detriment to the Republic of Latvia," the ministry said.

The Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the Russian ambassador to Estonia and handed over a diplomatic note stating that three staff members with diplomatic status of the Russian Embassy have been declared persona non grata.

Earlier in the day, Bulgaria also announced its decision to expel ten Russian diplomats.

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Lithuania's party agreement to include funding for specific defense needs – chair

VILNIUS, Mar 18. BNS - Representatives of Lithuania's political parties agree on the need to increase national defense funding, but the amount to be included into the national agreement will be determined by real possibilities and needs to acquire weapons, says Laurynas Kasciunas, chairman of the parliamentary Committee on National Security and Defense.

"It has to be a sustainable national agreement, and we will need to find wording acceptable to everyone. We agreed not to rush into anything, focus on it and get our analysts, observers and experts involved. We will propose to the president's representatives to join us," he told journalists at the Seimas on Friday after the working group's first meeting.

Representatives of political parties said they agreed that the document would discuss defense funding by taking into account real possibilities and needs for acquisitions.

"The will to move forward with defense funding is understandable and obvious, there's no doubt about that, it just needs to be logically calculated. (...) It is sometimes irresponsible to promise those 3 percent GDP next year... Let's calculate it, let's assess the needs, let's assess the macroeconomic forecasts, let's assess the possibilities of acquiring certain weapons and then let's say what that percentage should be," Kasciunas said, adding that the Ministry of National Defense would be asked to provide specific figures and acquisition plans.

"When we see clearer figures and acquisition plans, we will be able to write that clearer percentage for how many years in advance," Kasciunas said.

The new agreement should also include information on universal defense, the CNSD chairman said.

"It means that not only the army, not only our allies are responsible for the defense of our country, but every citizen, and it is the defense of the nation. This is something that everyone agrees on," he said.

In his words, the document should outline the goal of boosting the presence of NATO's forward presence forces in the region.

"What I call forward defense is that we should be able to defend ourselves on the line. This is the architecture of deterrence that needs to be built in our region", the politician explained.

The ruling conservative Homeland Union – Lithuanian Christian Democrats are also proposing including universal conscription into the document, Kasciunas said.

Representatives of other parties say universal conscription could be envisaged, adding, however, that deeper discussions on the matter were necessary.

The CNSD chairman vows to prepare an initial version of the agreement next week for parliamentary parties to be able to start discussing it.

The new agreement should replace the existing document signed four years ago.

In September, 2018, Lithuania's parliamentary parties, excluding the Social Democratic Party of Lithuania, signed an agreement stating that defense funding would reach 2.5 percent GDP by 2030. The document also foresees decisions on the possibility of introducing universal conscription in 2022.

As the parliament upped defense funding by almost 300 million euros earlier this year, defense funding has already reached 2.5 percent GDP.

By Jūratė Skėrytė

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