LITHUANIA DAILY NEWS BULLETIN

IN THIS ISSUE:

1. Six irregular migrants turned away on Lithuania's border with Belarus
2. Lithuania cherishes its friendship with Israel – PM 
3. Lithuanian defense minister to attend JEF meeting in Amsterdam
4. Lithuanian formin hands ICC prosecutor data on Ukrainian children's transfer to Belarus
5. Montenegro flight via Belarus airspace to Vilnius didn't breach sanctions – authorities
6. Lithuania reports 52 new COVID-19 cases, 1 death
7. NATO plans based on common understanding of threat – Lithuanian defense chief  
8. SocDems top Lithuania's party rankings, conservatives in 2nd place – Delfi/Spinter poll 
9. Asylum-awaiting Russian pilot allowed to live in place of his choice in Lithuania
10. Lithuanian MPs to set salaries for local government politicians
11. Lithuanian Defense Ministry seeks director of Defense Materiel Agency 
12. Lithuanian MPs set salaries for local government politicians
13. One in ten Lithuanians have lost money to financial scams, poll finds 
14. Lithuanian troops take part in Baltic Zenith 2023 exercise in Latvia
15. Petroniene nominated as Lithuania's election chief 
16. Lithuania's LOU ready to service NATO guests' exceptional aircraft
17. Three Lithuanian districts declare extreme situation due to drought
18. Russia's war in Ukraine poses threat to Middle East, world - Lithuanian PM in Palestine
19. Upcoming events in Lithuania for Wednesday, June 13, 2023

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

VILNIUS, Jun 13, BNS – Lithuanian border guards have in the past 24 hours turned away six migrants attempting to cross into the country from Belarus illegally, the State Border Guard Service (SBGS) said on Tuesday morning.

Latvia reported 33 attempts at illegal border crossings on Monday, and 60 irregular migrants were not allowed into Poland on Sunday, according to the latest available information.

A total of 1,203 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 about 20,500 people from crossing in from Belarus since August 3, 2021, when they were given the right to turn away irregular migrants. The number includes repeated attempts by the same people to cross the border.

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

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

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Lithuania cherishes its friendship with Israel – PM 

VILNIUS, Jun 13, BNS – Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte underlined Lithuania's historical ties and friendship with Israel, and security as she met with Israeli leaders on Monday. 

"Lithuania’s historical ties and friendship with Israel are something we take pride in and cherish," Simonyte's office quoted her as saying during her meeting with Israeli President Isaac Herzog.

"Israel is a success story and a role model in multiple fields, a nation synonymous with innovation and creativity," she said. "We want our cooperation to continue to grow, strengthen and enrich our countries."

During her meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Simonyte emphasized security and said that "sustainable peace can only be achieved if Ukraine wins".

The two prime ministers "also discussed the security situation in the Middle East, the cooperation between Russia and Iran, which threatens the security of the region and the world", according to the press release. 

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Lithuanian defense minister to attend JEF meeting in Amsterdam

VILNIUS, Jun 13, BNS – Lithuanian Defense Minister Arvydas Anusauskas is heading to Amsterdam on Tuesday to take part in a meeting of the UK-led Joint Expeditionary Force's defense ministers and a table-top exercise. 

"The JEF is a brigade-sized high-readiness combat unit tailored to respond to emergencies in Europe, including the Baltic Sea region," the Lithuanian Defense Ministry said in a press release. 

"The United Kingdom leads the force put together of maritime, air and land force capabilities by ten Northern European partner nations," it added.

Anusauskas will then travel to Brussels to take part in a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group on Thursday and a meeting of NATO defense ministers on Friday.

"A 3+3 format is planned on the margins in Brussels for the Baltic Defense Ministers to meet with counterparts from Germany, the United Kingdom and Canada, framework nations of the NATO enhanced Forward Presence Battle Groups deployed in the respective countries," the ministry said. 

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Lithuanian formin hands ICC prosecutor data on Ukrainian children's transfer to Belarus

VILNIUS, Jun 13, BNS – Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis met with Karim Khan, chief prosecutor at the International Criminal Court (ICC), in the Netherlands on Monday to hand him information on the alleged criminal transfer of Ukrainian children to Belarus. 

The data on the alleged unlawful transfer of over 2,000 Ukrainian children, mostly orphans, from occupied Ukrainian territories to camps in Belarus was gathered by the Belarusian opposition.

Landsbergis and Khan discussed international processes to ensure full accountability of Russian and Belarusian officials responsible for the war crimes and crimes against humanity in Ukraine, the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry said in a press release.   

The foreign minister earlier forwarded the data to the Lithuanian Prosecutor General's Office, which has opened a pre-trial investigation into the deportation and displacement of civilians and the separation of children.

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Montenegro flight via Belarus airspace to Vilnius didn't breach sanctions – authorities

VILNIUS, Jun 13, BNS – Air Montenegro's plane did not violate sanctions when it flew over Belarus on its way to Vilnius as non-EU air carriers are only advised to avoid Belarusian airspace, Lithuanian aviation authorities said on Monday.  

Belarus' news website Belsat.eu earlier reported, citing the MotolkoPomogi channel, that Air Montenegro's 4o-AOA charter flight from Tivat flew over Belarusian territory, despite the ban, before entering Lithuanian airspace and landing in Vilnius at 10 a.m. on Monday.  

This was the fifth flight since the new charter route was launched in late May, Belsat.eu reported, noting that no planes had crossed Belarusian airspace on this route so far.

Based on preliminary information, the shortening of the route by the pilots was not caused by bad weather conditions or other unforeseen circumstances, according to the website. 

The Lithuanian Transport Safety Administration (LTSA) told BNS that it was aware of the flight as it had given permission to Air Montenegro to operate a series of charter flights from Tivat to Vilnius and back. 

"The operation of this flight does not constitute a violation as the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) safety directive only recommends that non-EU air carriers entering Lithuanian airspace avoid Belarusian airspace. They are not prohibited from flying through Belarusian airspace," the LTSA said in a comment to BNS.  

"EU air carriers cannot cross the country's airspace," it noted.  

However, the authority said it would ask Air Montenegro to follow the recommendation.

Oro Navigacija (Air Navigation), Lithuania's air navigation service provider, also says that Montenegro is not on the list of sanctioned countries (which includes Russia and Belarus), that the flight is not subject to any sanctions and that the aircraft flew according to its flight plan.

In May 2021, Lithuania banned all flights in and out of the country from flying through Belarusian airspace. The move followed the forced landing of Ryanair's Athens-Vilnius flight in Minsk and the arrest of blogger Raman Pratasevich and his girlfriend Sofia Sapega. 

In response, the EU also banned Belarusian carriers from its airspace and airports.

By Roma Pakėnienė

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Lithuania reports 52 new COVID-19 cases, 1 death

VILNIUS, Jun 13, BNS – Lithuania has recorded 52 new coronavirus infections and one death from COVID-19 over the past 24 hours, official statistics showed on Tuesday morning.

The 14-day primary infection rate has edged down to 18.5 cases per 100,000 people, with the seven-day percentage of positive tests at 6.4 percent.

The number of COVID-19 patients in hospitals now stands at 53, including five ICU cases.

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

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

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

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NATO plans based on common understanding of threat – Lithuanian defense chief  

VILNIUS, Jun 13, BNS – NATO's defense plans are based on a common understanding of the threat, Lithuania's Chief of Defense Lieutenant General Valdemaras Rupsys has said. 

"NATO's principle now is that we have to understand the threat in the same way. It means that everyone – both the 31 (member) countries and the main strategic military headquarters – understands and assesses the threat in the same way," Rupsys told LRT TV on Monday. 

"This is the starting point in making plans, so the understanding of the threat is now clear at the military level, and all of us, from the southern flank to the northern states, also understand that Russia is the main threat, and that, of course, we must be watchful and be prepared for other threats as well," he said. 

The general confirmed that NATO member countries' representatives are expected to finalize new regional defense plans this week. 

"It will still take some time before they are approved," he said, adding that "we will definitely have these plans in place by the NATO summit" in Vilnius in mid-July. 

NATO's new defense plans for the Baltic states and Poland were drawn up some time ago in response to the increased threat from Russia following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

In a reflection of the Alliance's changing strategy, the plans basically provide for defense from the first days of a potential conflict. Previously, the approach was that the Baltic countries should try to hold off a Russian offensive until allied reinforcements can arrive to help them.

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SocDems top Lithuania's party rankings, conservatives in 2nd place – Delfi/Spinter poll 

VILNIUS, Jun 13, BNS – The Lithuanian Social Democratic Party (LSDP) continues to top Lithuania's political party rankings, followed by the conservative Homeland Union-Lithuanian Christian Democrats (HU-LCD) and the Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union (LFGU), according to the latest Spinter Tyrimai opinion poll published by Delfi on Tuesday. 

Some 14.5 percent of respondents said in May they would vote for the LSDP (compared to 17 percent in April).

Some 9.2 percent supported the HU-LCD (12 percent), and 8.8 percent backed the LFGU (9.9 percent). 

Further down the list was the Liberal Movement with 6.8 percent (7.1 percent a month ago), followed closely by the Democratic Union "For Lithuania" with 6.6 percent (7.3 percent). 

When asked who they saw as best-suited to be prime minister, 8.9 percent of respondents chose Ingrida Simonyte, the incumbent head of government, down by three percentage points from the previous poll. 

MEP Vilija Blinkeviciute, the LSDP leader, came in second with 8.8 percent (9.8 percent in April), followed by MP Saulius Skvernelis, the Democratic Union's leader and a former prime minister, in third place with 6.9 percent (7.5 percent).    

When asked about the current government's performance, 23.4 percent of those polled in May gave a positive opinion or rather a positive one (32.3 percent a month ago), and 69.8 percent said their opinion was negative or rather negative (62.5 percent). 

Some 6.8 percent of respondents said they did not know or gave no answer to the question. 

In the representative survey commissioned by Delfi, Spinter Tyrimai polled 1,009 people aged 18 to 75 years between May 19 and 26, with 50 percent interviewed by phone and the rest online.  

The results of the poll have an error margin of 3.1 percent.

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Asylum-awaiting Russian pilot allowed to live in place of his choice in Lithuania

VILNIUS, Jun 13, BNS – Fugitive Russian Air Force pilot Dmitry Mishov has been allowed to live in a place of his choice as the country's Migration Department is examining his asylum request.

"On Monday afternoon, the State Border Guard Service was notified of the Migration Department's decision to allow the Russian citizen to stay in the place of his choice and to be admitted to Lithuania," SBGS spokesman Giedrius Misutis told BNS on Tuesday.

"He has notified about the decision and has receipt a copy of it, and he is in Lithuania," he added.

For its part, the Migration Department refrains from commenting on this situation because "information about asylum seekers is confidential".

Last week, the BBC published an interview with Mishov in which he talked about the losses of the Kremlin forces in Ukraine. In the interview, he also said he fled to Lithuania in late May and contacted the country's migration authorities.

The pilot's asylum application was registered over the weekend. 

According to the Lithuanian authorities, the Russian pilot entered Lithuania illegally through an internal EU border, not an external one, and than arrived in Lithuania under the Schengen area's free movement regime.

Lithuania's Interior Ministry said earlier said that national security threats would be assessed when examining the Russian pilot's asylum application as the incident may be a provocation.

By Augustas Stankevičius

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Lithuanian MPs to set salaries for local government politicians

VILNIUS, Jun 13, BNS – Lithuania's parliament, the Seimas, plans to set salaries for local government politicians to replace the existing allowances for office needs that have recently sparked a misuse scandal.

The relevant amendments are set to be adopted on Tuesday.

Under the bill, local councilors would get a fifth of the mayor's salary in their specific municipality. Also, the law would scrap the existing provision that a councilor may get an allowance to cover office, postal, telephone, internet, transport, office lease expenses and also to pay for services provided by public information providers and cover other expenses related to their official councilor activities 

The proposed changes would enter into force in July.

The debate on councilors' use of money allocated for office needs has recently sparked a scandal in Lithuania after it turned out that some local politicians had used the maximum possible amounts, despite the fact that movement and other activities were severely restricted during the coronavirus pandemic.

The then Education Minister Jurgita Siugzdiniene, a former Kaunas councilor, had to do some explaining because of this situation and was eventually forced to resign. 

In response to the crisis, the ruling conservative Homeland Union – Lithuanian Christian Democrats proposed an early Seimas election to be held on September 10, but the Seimas voted the motion down. The HU-LCD argued that the election bid was an attempt to "reset" the whole political system as the shadow of the allegedly non-transparent use of funds had been cast on all parties.

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Lithuanian Defense Ministry seeks director of Defense Materiel Agency 

VILNIUS, Jun 13, BNS – The Lithuanian Defense Ministry on Tuesday invited applications for the job of director at the Defense Materiel Agency. 

With the current director's five-year term of office set to expire, the deadline for applications is June 27.

The Defense Materiel Agency employs almost 200 people and is responsible for national defense system acquisitions, public procurement processes and the implementation of contracts with an annual value of up to 1.45 billion euros, the ministry said in a press release.

The agency's tasks are to ensure the national defense system's cooperation in science, defense research and technology and international multilateral defense acquisitions, to organize and coordinate the procurement of goods, services and works, and to take part in the formulation and implementation of military standardization policy, it said.

The next director is expected to successfully carry out the agency's operational strategy, to manage resources effectively, to mobilize their team toward common goals, to implement innovative management tools, and to represent the agency in task groups and international meetings, according to the press release.

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Lithuanian MPs set salaries for local government politicians

VILNIUS, Jun 13, BNS – Lithuania's parliament, the Seimas, on Tuesday set salaries for local government politicians to replace the existing allowances for office needs that have recently sparked a misuse scandal.

116 MPs voted in favor of the changes, two were against and nine abstained. Once signed by President Gitanas Nauseda, the changes will come into force in July.

Under the bill, local councilors will get a fifth of the mayor's salary in their specific municipality. Also, the new law scraps the existing provision that a councilor may get an allowance to cover office, postal, telephone, internet, transport, office lease expenses and also to pay for services provided by public information providers and cover other expenses related to their official councilor activities.

Audrius Petrosius, a member of the parliament Committee on State Administration and Local Authorities, estimates that councilors' post-tax salaries will range from 640 to 805 euros, depending on the size of their municipality. They will also receive bonuses depending on the working experience and other factors.

The debate on councilors' use of money allocated for office needs has recently sparked a scandal in Lithuania after it turned out that some local politicians had used the maximum possible amounts, despite the fact that movement and other activities were severely restricted during the coronavirus pandemic.

The then Education Minister Jurgita Siugzdiniene, a former Kaunas councilor, had to do some explaining because of this situation and was eventually forced to resign. Finance Minister Gintare Skaiste and Culture Minister Simonas Kairys, both also former Kaunas councilors, also received questions on the use of such allowances.

In response to the crisis, the ruling conservative Homeland Union – Lithuanian Christian Democrats proposed an early Seimas election to be held on September 10, but the Seimas voted the motion down. The HU-LCD argued that the election bid was an attempt to "reset" the whole political system as the shadow of the allegedly non-transparent use of funds had been cast on all parties.

By Milena Andrukaitytė

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One in ten Lithuanians have lost money to financial scams, poll finds 

VILNIUS, Jun 13, BNS – One in ten Lithuanians, or 11 percent, admit having personally lost money after falling into the trap of financial scams, according to a survey commissioned by SEB. 

More than a quarter (28 percent) of respondents said they knew at least one person among their family members, friends and acquaintances who had fallen victim to financial scams, and 43 percent said they had been directly affected by a scam, or had someone in their close circle who had been affected.

Vilija Nausedaite, a member of the management board and head of monitoring and security at SEB Lithuania, says that it is important to continue to raise the public's financial and digital literacy in this area.

Norstat LT polled 1,000 people aged between 18 and 74 years in May. 

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Lithuanian troops take part in Baltic Zenith 2023 exercise in Latvia

VILNIUS, Jun 13, BNS – Troops from the Lithuanian Air Defense Battalion conducted live-firing at aerial targets as part of the Baltic Zenith 2023 exercise hosted by Latvia this week, the Lithuanian Armed Forces said on Tuesday. 

The Air Defense Battalion took part in the exercise from Sunday to Tuesday alongside their air defense counterparts from the Special Operations Forces and the Navy, the military said in a press release.

This year, the Lithuanian troops fired short-range air defense missile systems RBS-70 and GROM. 

The Air Defense Battalion's RBS-70 systems were used for both individual firing and situational firing training, where live firing was conducted for the first time in a common data network and under a senior command, according to the press release.

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Petroniene nominated as Lithuania's election chief 

VILNIUS, Jun 13, BNS – Viktorija Cmilyte-Nielsen, speaker of the Lithuanian parliament, is nominating Lina Petroniene as chairwoman of the Central Electoral Commission (CEC). 

"She is an experienced expert in the organization and conduct of elections and, in particular, in the financing of political parties and campaigns at national and international level, (as she) has been working in this field since 1996," Cmilyte-Nielsen said in a press release on Tuesday.  

Petroniene has headed the Political Parties and Campaign Finance Control Division of the Secretariat of the CEC since 2007, according to the press release. 

The election watchdog has had no permanent chairperson since the resignation of Jolanta Petkeviciene in late March amid criticism over the organization of mayoral elections in Anyksciai and Visaginas.

The CEC chairperson is nominated by the speaker of the Seimas and appointed by the full parliament. 

By Milena Andrukaitytė

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Lithuania's LOU ready to service NATO guests' exceptional aircraft

VILNIUS, Jun 13, BNS – Lietuvos Oro Uostai (Lithuanian Airports, LOU), the airport operator in Lithuania, says it's ready to service the exclusive aircraft of participants of the upcoming NATO summit in Vilnius, including the American president's Air Force One plane.

"The Vilnius and Kaunas airports are ready to receive heads of state's large and impressive airplanes that are often referred to as presidents' flying palaces and command posts," the airport operator said in a statement on Tuesday.

Martynas Jaugelavicius, a route development manager at LOU, points out that long-haul aircraft "are often heavily modified civil aircraft, equipped with the latest equipment and technology and otherwise adapted for exceptional needs".

"So these are extraordinary aircraft, and when you see them up close, the impression you get is really lasting," he said.

Undoubtedly, the US president's plane Air Force One will attract major attention from plane-watching enthusiasts, Jaugelavicius said.

LOU reminds that Vilnius Airport and the surrounding areas will be subject to enhanced security requirements, patrols by the military and public security officers, and screening in the run-up to the NATO summit in Vilnius.

People will be allowed to watch plane landings, take-offs and taxiing only from a specially designated parking area near Salininkai. 

The NATO summit in Vilnius will take place on July 11-12.

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Three Lithuanian districts declare extreme situation due to drought

KLAIPEDA, Lithuania, Jun 13, BNS – Lithuania's western districts of Silute, Kretinga and Klaipeda have declared an extreme situation due to a drought and expects the government to compensate local farmers for the losses incurred.

The three municipalities want a pan-country extreme situation to be declared in Lithuania.

"We declared an extreme situation in the whole district this morning. (...) We have received several reports from meteorologists of indeed a drought in Silute, Klaipeda and Palanga Districts. As you can see, there's no rain," Antanas Kalnius, mayor of Kretinga District, told BNS on Tuesday, adding that now, once an extreme situation is declared, the municipality will turn to the government and ask for help in compensating farmers for losses.

Klaipeda District Mayor Bronius Markauskas told BNS that the drought in the district will cut the harvest by around 40 percent and fodder volumes will be 60 percent lower, adding that this will also be a basis for asking the national government to help farmers.

By Valdas Pryšmantas

Editor: Roma Pakėnienė

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Russia's war in Ukraine poses threat to Middle East, world - Lithuanian PM in Palestine

VILNIUS, Jun 13, BNS - Russia's war against Ukraine has rocked the global security architecture and its consequences pose a threat not only to Europe but also to the Middle East and the whole world, Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte said on Tuesday at a meeting with her Palestinian counterpart Mohammad Shtayyeh.

The two prime ministers discussed the security situation in the region and in the world, bilateral relations, as well as opportunities for broader economic cooperation between Lithuania and Palestine, the Lithuanian government's press service said.

They also discussed the impact of Russia's war against Ukraine on regional and global security, the economy and food security, and shared experience in the areas of digitization, financial technology, recycling and the implementation of a deposit-refund system. The prospects for business partnerships and student exchange programs were also discussed.

"We are delighted with joint projects that go beyond fostering links in traditional economic sectors, but also help to fulfill the potential of digitization and the IT sector. However, the creation of wellbeing in any form is impossible without security and peace," the Lithuanian prime minster said.

Simonyte and Shtayyeh discussed the Middle East peace process and the two-state solution as "the only way to achieve sustainable peace between Israel and Palestine", the statement said.

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Upcoming events in Lithuania for Wednesday, June 13, 2023

VILNIUS, Jun 13, BNS – The following events are scheduled in Lithuania for Wednesday, June 13, 2023:

PRESIDENT Gitanas Nauseda and SPEAKER OF THE SEIMAS Viktorija Cmilyte-Nielsen to attend events held to mark the Day of Mourning and Hope and to the Day of Occupation and Genocide.

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

DEFENSE MINISTER Arvydas Anusauskas to attend the UK-led Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) defense ministers' meeting and a table-top exercise in Amsterdam.

HEALTH MINISTER Arunas Dulkys to attend a meeting of the EU Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council in Luxembourg.

FOREIGN MINISTER Gabrielius Landsbergis to have breakfast with ex-NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen; to attend an EU round-table discussion.

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