IN THIS ISSUE:
VILNIUS, Jun 11, BNS – Lithuania's defense budget could reach 3 percent of GDP as early as this year, Gabrielius Landsbergis, leader of the ruling conservative Homeland Union-Lithuanian Christian Democrats (HU-LCD), said on Tuesday.
"I wouldn't be surprised if we reach 3 percent this year. There are such options," the foreign minister told reporters.
By Augustas Stankevičius
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VILNIUS, Jun 11, BNS – The following events are scheduled in Lithuania for Tuesday, June 11, 2024.
PRESIDENT Gitanas Nauseda to attend the Bucharest Nine Summit in Riga.
SPEAKER OF THE SEIMAS Viktorija Cmilyte-Nielsen to continue her visit to Poland.
PRIME MINISTER Ingrida Simonyte to pay a working visit to Berlin, to attend the Ukraine Recovery Conference.
CULTURE MINISTER Simonas Kairys to pay a working visit to Berlin.
FOREIGN MINISTER Gabrielius Landsbergis to attend a celebration of the US Independence Day at 4.15 p.m.
OTHER EVENTS
A professional solidarity rally in support of lawyer Maxim Znak, imprisoned in Belarus, to take place outside the Belarusian Embassy in Vilnius at 2 p.m.
A celebration of the US Independence Day, organized by the US Embassy, to take place in the courtyard of the Old Arsenal of the National Museum of Lithuania at 4.15 p.m.
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VILNIUS, Jun 11, BNS – Lithuanian border guards have in the past 24 hours recorded no attempts to cross into the country from Belarus illegally, the State Border Guard Service (SBGS) said on Tuesday morning.
Latvia reported 34 attempts at illegal border crossings on Monday, and 106 irregular migrants were not allowed into Poland on Sunday, according to the latest available information.
A total of 231 irregular migrants have been barred from entering Lithuania from Belarus at non-designated places so far this year.
The influx of irregular migrants to the EU's eastern member states from Belarus began in 2021 and is blamed by the West on the Minsk regime.
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.
Lithuanian border guards have prevented a total of almost 22,000 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.
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VILNIUS, Jun 11, BNS – Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda is heading to Riga on Tuesday to take part in the summit of the Bucharest Nine group of NATO's eastern flank countries.
The gathering will focus on preparations for NATO's summit in Washington, D.C. in July, support for Ukraine, and strengthening the Alliance's eastern flank, Nauseda's office has said.
The Lithuanian president is also scheduled to hold bilateral meetings on the margins of the summit.
The Bucharest Nine format was launched in 2015 in response to Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014.
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VILNIUS, Jun 11, BNS – Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte is taking part in the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Berlin on Tuesday.
Simonyte is to address a roundtable discussion of heads of state and government on Ukraine's reconstruction and the conference's session on the war-torn country's European integration, and to deliver the national statement outlining Lithuania's support for Ukraine, the government's press office has said.
The Ukraine Recovery Conference is an international format that was known as the Ukraine Reform Conference before the war. It was hosted by Lithuania in 2021.
Speakers at the conference in Berlin also include German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, British Foreign Secretary David Cameron, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, Ukraine's First Lady Olena Zelenska, and others.
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VILNIUS, Jun 11, BNS – The so-called Defense Fund package, which aims to increase Lithuania's defense funding to 3 percent of GDP in the coming years, is being presented to the parliament on Tuesday.
The government is asking the parliament to debate the proposed draft amendments to the laws on corporate and personal income taxes, and excise duties under a fast-track procedure.
The aim is to raise additional funds for defense by increasing the corporate income tax by one percentage point to 16 percent, raising the reduced corporate tax rate for small-sized businesses from 5 percent to 6 percent, introducing a so-called "defense component" of 6 euro cents (5-cent excise duty and 1-cent VAT) on automotive fuel, and further hiking excise duties on alcohol and tobacco.
The package also suggests lowering the annual income threshold, from 45,000 euros to 20,000 euros, for those working under a business license, which would result in higher taxes for some self-employed individuals.
Other proposals include abolishing special corporate income tax regimes for the insurance and health sectors.
The package also calls for scrapping the limitation of car cost deductions linked to environmental friendliness. The amendments provide for deducting from income 75,000 euros in expenses for the purchase and rental of passenger vehicles if their carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are zero and 10,000 euros if their CO2 emissions exceed 200 grams per kilometer.
President Gitanas Nauseda last week called on politicians to find the will to make timely decisions on boosting defense funding.
Viktorija Cmilyte-Nielsen, speaker of the parliament and leader of the Liberal Movement, has said that the Defense Fund package contains a number of measures that have not been agreed in the coalition, while Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte has said that the ruling coalition partners agree on the government's key proposals.
Issues that caused controversy within the coalition include the government’s proposal to channel 25 million euros from municipalities' share of personal income tax into civil protection annually.
The Finance Ministry estimates that the proposed measures could raise an additional 297.8 million euros in state budget revenue in 2025, 421.2 million euros in 2026, and 436.5 million euros in 2027.
Politicians want to boost defense funding to 3 percent of GDP to speed up the establishment of a military division, to host a German brigade, which is expected to be stationed in the country by 2027, and to prepare for universal conscription.
Editor: Roma Pakėnienė
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VILNIUS, Jun 11, BNS - Marcus Prinz von Anhalt, a Dubai-based German brothel owner with several past convictions for illegal activities, has promoted the Swiss iSun group's projects on social media, the vz.lt business news website reports on Tuesday.
According to the website, one of such projects was Swissmoney, an iSun-owned company previously run by Mindaugas Navickas, the husband of Lithuanian Social Security and Minister Monika Navickiene.
Moreover, the German man's account also features information on Bitandpay, which is run by Alfonsas Ambrazas, a former iSun employee. Bitandpay has been mentioned in an illegal e-casino service scheme.
One of the videos uploaded by Prinz von Anhalt on Instagram also shows Vilhelmas Germanas (formerly Vilius Zidelis), the partner of Ieva Trinkunaite, the founder and board chair iSun Group, on a private plane. Germanas has served several prison sentences for financial crimes in Lithuania.
When approached by vz.lt, both Germanas and Trinkunaite denied that they had any business relations with the German and said they had only ever spoken to him "in a large company".
Last Friday, the Lithuanian government aid it had already approved the conclusion of its commission vetting transactions of strategic companies on whether Trinkunaite, the Foxpay shareholder, was in line with national security interests.
The central Bank of Lithuania is carrying out an investigation into Fox activities, and a separate probe is being conducted by the Financial Crime Investigation Service at the prosecutor general's request.
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VILNIUS, Jun 11, BNS – Lithuania's future representative to the European Commission should strengthen Europe and Lithuania within it, Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis says.
"I think the person who can do the best job in the European Commission is the one who can not only represent Lithuania, because this is not Lithuania's position later, it is the European Commission's position, but who can do the best job of strengthening Europe and Lithuania within it," the minister told reporters at the Seimas on Tuesday, adding that he sees people in Lithuania who can do this, without mentioning specific names.
A new European Commission is being formed after Sunday's European Parliament election where the ruling conservative Homeland Union – Lithuanian Christian Democrats won three out of Lithuania's 11 seats in the EP. The opposition Social Democrats came in second with two seats.
Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte said on Monday she has no plans to to apply to become an EC member.
Politico also mentioned Landsbergis as one of the potential candidates for this position. However, asked whether he would be willing to take it, the HU-LCD leader on Tuesday avoided giving a straight answer, as he has done in the past.
"I have never been involved in discussions on whether someone wants it or not, it's not a beauty contest," Landsbergis told reporters.
One commissioner is nominated by each European Union member state. Currently, Lithuania is represented by Virginijus Sinkevcčius who is responsible for environment, oceans and fisheries.
In Lithuania, the government, the Seimas and the president have to approve the country's candidate for a European commissioner, and then the European Parliament decides on all the candidates.
By Greta Zulonaitė
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VILNIUS, Jun 11, BNS – Lithuania's defense budget could reach 3 percent of GDP as early as this year, Gabrielius Landsbergis, leader of the ruling conservative Homeland Union-Lithuanian Christian Democrats (HU-LCD), said on Tuesday.
"I wouldn't be surprised if we reach 3 percent this year. There are such options," the foreign minister told reporters.
"Additional funding for this year is under consideration," he added.
Landsbergis' comment came after the so-called Defense Fund package, which aims to boost Lithuania's defense funding in the coming years, was tabled in the parliament on Tuesday.
"The package under consideration, in its entirety, would put us significantly above 3 percent of GDP," the foreign minister said.
"I think we are approaching 3.5 or 3.2 percent of GDP. That would place Lithuania among the top three NATO countries," he said.
The proposed legislative amendments aim to raise additional funds for defense by increasing the corporate income tax by one percentage point to 16 percent, raising the reduced corporate tax rate for small-sized businesses from 5 percent to 6 percent, introducing a so-called "defense component" of 6 euro cents (5-cent excise duty and 1-cent VAT) on automotive fuel, and further hiking excise duties on alcohol and tobacco.
The package also suggests lowering the annual income threshold, from 45,000 euros to 20,000 euros, for those working under a business license, which would result in higher taxes for some self-employed individuals.
Other proposals include abolishing special corporate income tax regimes for the insurance and health sectors.
The package also calls for scrapping the limitation of car-related deductions linked to the environmental impact. The amendments provide for deducting from income 75,000 euros in expenses for the purchase and rental of passenger vehicles if their carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are zero and 10,000 euros if their CO2 emissions exceed 200 grams per kilometer.
Landsbergis said the proposed measures would allow Lithuania to make significant purchases in the coming years.
In response to some MPs' criticism of the government's proposals, the minister said that the military would lose some planned additional acquisitions if certain parts of the package were voted down.
"While voting against certain parts, we have to understand that there's a specific acquisition attached to a certain part," the conservatives' leader said.
Politicians want to boost defense funding to speed up the establishment of a military division, to host a German brigade, which is expected to be stationed in the country by 2027, and to prepare for universal conscription.
By Augustas Stankevičius
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VILNIUS, Jun 11, BNS – The Kaunas City Council on Tuesday approved an initiative to erect a monument to former Lithuanian President Algirdas Mykolas Brazauskas, with the exact location to be decided later.
The motion was passed in a vote of 25 to seven with seven abstentions.
Saulius Rimas, head of the municipality's cultural heritage division, said that a competition will be held to select the monument's design. Participating artists will propose specific locations, which will be evaluated by a municipal commission.
There has been some discussion about placing the monument in the courtyard of the Historical Presidential Palace in Kaunas, but this idea has faced criticism from some politicians and cultural figures.
Rimas told BNS that this would be hardly possible legally "because the municipality is neither the owner or the user" of the courtyard.
The Historical Presidential Palace with its courtyard is a division of the National M.K. Ciurlionis Museum of Art, which is owned by the Culture Ministry.
According to Rimas, the cost of the project will be known after the competition.
The idea of erecting a monument to Brazauskas was put forward by Kaunas Mayor Visvaldas Matijosaitis, who said that 15 years after the former president's death, his memory has not been properly honored.
"We will try to do this in Kaunas," the mayor said in an earlier statement.
He suggested the monument could be placed in the courtyard of the Historical Presidential Palace.
Brazauskas, a signatory of Lithuania's 1990 Independence Act, served as speaker of the Lithuanian parliament from 1992 to 1933, as president from 1993 to 1998 and as prime minister from 2001 to 2006.
During the Soviet era, Brazauskas headed the Lithuanian branch of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union for some time. He was elected leader of the Lithuanian Communist Party after it split from the Soviet Communist Party under his leadership in 1988. He later became chairman of the Lithuanian Democratic Labor Party, which merged with the Lithuanian Social Democratic Party in 2001.
The former president passed away on June 26, 2010, after a serious illness.
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VILNIUS, Jun 11, BNS - Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis has called the European Parliament election results in France, where the far-right party won a majority of seats, a clear call from the voters.
"It’s a clear call from the voters. That is obvious. Perhaps it is also part of a broader pan- European signal when we see that the center parties are not withstanding the pressure in many countries," Lithuania's top diplomat told journalists at the Seimas on Tuesday.
In France, the far-right National Rally got the majority of votes and secures 30 seats in the European Parliament. Meanwhile, President Emmanuel Macron's centrist Renaissance party won 13 seats. Just as the exit-polls were coming out, Macron announced that he was dissolving the parliament and called a snap election on June 30, acknowledging that the EP election results were not good for the pro-European parties.
In Germany, the Conservatives came in first in the EP election, followed by the far-right Alternative for Germany and Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social Democrats. In Italy, Giorgia Meloni's far-right Brothers of Italy party won a landslide victory in the election, making it one of the few European Union leaders to strengthen its position after the vote.
"However, if we look at the bigger picture, the only centrist party that has withstood the pressure and got more seats in the European Parliament is the European People's Party – a conservative party the HU-LCD belongs to," Landsbergis pointed out.
"Despite some European indications, we see that there is probably more of a crumbling of the left and a strengthening of the right. I am happy that the center-right, while also holding the center, is withstanding that pressure and securing a solid number of votes in the new EP", the minister said.
The ruling conservative HU-LCD won Sunday's EP election in Lithuania, securing three out of Lithuania's 11 seats in the European Parliament, according to preliminary data from the Central Electoral Commission.
The opposition Lithuanian Social Democratic Party came in second with two seats. And the Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union, the Freedom Party, the Democratic Union "For Lithuania", the Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania-Christian Families Alliance, the Liberal Movement, and the People and Justice Union got one eat each.
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VILNIUS, Jun 11, BNS – Lithuania's defense budget could reach 3 percent of GDP as early as this year, Gabrielius Landsbergis, leader of the ruling conservative Homeland Union-Lithuanian Christian Democrats (HU-LCD), said on Tuesday.
"I wouldn't be surprised if we reach 3 percent this year. There are such options," the foreign minister told reporters.
"Additional funding for this year is under consideration," he added.
Finance Minister Gintare Skaiste has confirmed to BNS that the government is considering the possibility of additional borrowing for defense this year.
"Right now, the planned defense funding in the state budget is about 2.76 percent of GDP, and there's still some way up to 3 percent (...), and the we would need some 200 million euros extra," she said.
According to the finance minister, the state budget includes a clause allowing borrowing to finance defense needs, provided the budget deficit does not exceed 3 percent of GDP.
"The Finance Ministry is now in the process of updating its economic projections and we will have new economic data in late June and we will see how the state budget revenues are collected and we will have more precise data on what the budget deficit is most likely to look like at the end of the year. If the updated projections show that there is room for a deficit of up to 3 percent of GDP, the government will definitely use that option (to borrow - BNS)," Skaiste said, adding that the government will be able to decide on this as soon as the economic projections are updated.
Defense Fund package
Landsbergis' comment came after the so-called Defense Fund package, which aims to boost Lithuania's defense funding in the coming years, was tabled in the parliament on Tuesday.
"The package under consideration, in its entirety, would put us significantly above 3 percent of GDP," the foreign minister said.
"I think we are approaching 3.5 or 3.2 percent of GDP. That would place Lithuania among the top three NATO countries," he said.
The proposed legislative amendments aim to raise additional funds for defense by increasing the corporate income tax by one percentage point to 16 percent, raising the reduced corporate tax rate for small-sized businesses from 5 percent to 6 percent, introducing a so-called "defense component" of 6 euro cents (5-cent excise duty and 1-cent VAT) on automotive fuel, and further hiking excise duties on alcohol and tobacco.
The package also suggests lowering the annual income threshold, from 45,000 euros to 20,000 euros, for those working under a business license, which would result in higher taxes for some self-employed individuals.
Other proposals include abolishing special corporate income tax regimes for the insurance and health sectors.
The package also calls for scrapping the limitation of car-related deductions linked to the environmental impact. The amendments provide for deducting from income 75,000 euros in expenses for the purchase and rental of passenger vehicles if their carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are zero and 10,000 euros if their CO2 emissions exceed 200 grams per kilometer.
Landsbergis said the proposed measures would allow Lithuania to make significant purchases in the coming years.
Three additional contracts
"My goal is to reach 3 percent of GDP on defense this year, maybe a little more. It will depend on the consultations with the government, with the finance minister, with the prime minister. They are both very good-natured, both have defense as a priority. I have presented very specific projects on what could be done with the additional money," Defense Minister Laurynas Kasciunas told reporters at the Seimas on Tuesday.
The money would be used to finance additional purchases related to medium air defense and short-range air defense systems, as well as mechanization, the minister said, adding that the advance payments and new contracts related to the new army division and air defense are a priority.
"If we reach 3 percent, three contracts are possible in these areas," the minister noted.
"The rule here is when the money moves and you see the law still allows you to borrow more. Of course, we will borrow, but on a very limited scale," Kasiunas said when asked about the sources of additional funding.
However, he noted that the total amount is not yet clear and will be negotiated. The minister expects decisions to be made before July and announced in early July.
In response to some MPs' criticism of the government's proposals, Landsbergis said that the military would lose some planned additional acquisitions if certain parts of the package were voted down.
"While voting against certain parts, we have to understand that there's a specific acquisition attached to a certain part," the conservatives' leader said.
Politicians in Lithuania want to boost defense funding to speed up the establishment of a military division, to host the German brigade assigned to Lithuania and expected to be stationed in the country by 2027, and to prepare for universal conscription.
By Augustas Stankevičius, Jūratė Skėrytė, Paulius Perminas
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VILNIUS, Jun 11, BNS – Lithuanian customs officials have seized suspected firearms parts from a Russian citizen who tried to bring in them from Belarus.
According to the Vilnius Territorial Customs Office, customs officers at the Medininkai road checkpoint detained a Jaguar car driven by a Russian citizen who had a Latvian residence permit and found 21 pistol grips, five adjustable folding stocks for automatic weapons, nine tactical stocks with adjustable cushion, nine rifle handguards, 21 rails for attaching special equipment to weapons. These parts were marked '83 OTK' and are possibly intended for firearms.
Officers are now looking into whether these can be classed as military or dual use goods.
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VILNIUS, Jun 11, BNS – Ukraine is bound to take center stage during NATO's summit in Washington, D.C. in July, and the success of the gathering will be gauged by the progress made on this issue, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said in Riga on Tuesday.
"Ukraine's victory is the only way to restore the destabilized international system and prevent the spread of war in Europe in the future," he said at the Bucharest Nine summit.
The summit in Riga focuses on preparations for NATO's summit and long-term support for Ukraine, Nauseda's office said in a press release.
The Lithuanian president said in Riga that the upcoming NATO summit must yield clear results and the necessary decisions to bolster security and defense across the Euro-Atlantic area, rather than being just a celebration of the Alliance's 75th anniversary.
"The Washington Summit will be an important milestone in shaping the future of the Euro-Atlantic area. We have to ensure that NATO remains the strongest defense alliance. We have to effectively implement the decisions taken last year in Vilnius and further strengthen NATO's eastern flank," he was quoted as saying in the press release.
Nauseda underlined the importance of implementing NATO's regional defense plans and the rotational air defense model.
The president also called for efforts to boost defense investment and invigorate the defense industry.
"Today we see that 2 percent of GDP is no longer sufficient as a minimum target – must aim for at least 3 percent to sustainably strengthen security and defense," he said.
Nauseda was to address the Bucharest Nine leaders' discussion on support for Ukraine on Tuesday afternoon.
The Bucharest Nine group brings together nine countries on NATO's eastern flank: Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia.
The format was launched in 2015 in response to Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014.
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VILNIUS, Jun 11, BNS - German, Polish and Latvian citizens voted in large numbers in Sunday's European Parliament election in Lithuania, the Central Electoral Commission said on Tuesday.
Some 228 EU citizens exercised their right to vote in Lithuania. In total, 7,060 people were eligible to vote. According to the CEC, 53 German, 46 Polish, 22 Latvian, 18 French, 17 Italian and 11 Dutch citizens voted to pick Lithuanian MEPs.
EU citizens were able to vote in Lithuania if they were 18 or over on the election day, had a residence permit in Lithuania and wished to vote here to elect Lithuanian representatives to the European Parliament. They need to file a request to the VRK to be added to the electoral register.
In comparison, some 300 EU citiens voted in Lithuania in the 2019 EP election.
The ruling conservative HU-LCD won Sunday's EP election in Lithuania, securing three out of Lithuania's 11 seats in the European Parliament, according to preliminary data from the Central Electoral Commission.
The opposition Lithuanian Social Democratic Party came in second with two seats. And the Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union, the Freedom Party, the Democratic Union "For Lithuania", the Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania-Christian Families Alliance, the Liberal Movement, and the People and Justice Union got one eat each.
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VILNIUS, Jun 11, BNS – Brigadier General Raimundas Vaiksnoras, President Gitanas Nauseda's nominee to become Lithuania's next chief of defense, said on Tuesday that he supports universal conscription, but believes that it should be introduced gradually.
"As a candidate, I support universal conscription, but it should be done gradually," Vaiksnoras told the parliament.
"It requires infrastructure and training fields, and requires training instructors, but gradually (...) we can increase the number of young draftees, thus increasing the reserve," he said.
Under Nauseda's decree on Vaiksnoras' nomination, which the president signed last week, the brigadier general would take over as chief of defense from General Valdemaras Rupsys on July 24.
"The geopolitical situation today dictates that we don't have the luxury of wasting time, so the main focus must be on deterrence and the defense of the entire NATO alliance," Vaiksnoras told the parliament.
The brigadier general also said the reinforcement of the Armed Forces' capabilities must be balanced, ensuring the functioning of all operational battle systems.
The candidate sees ensuring the implementation of NATO plans as one of his tasks if he is appointed to the post.
According to Vaiksnoras, the deployment of the German brigade in Lithuania and its integration along with the US units currently stationed in the country will ensure maximum deterrence effect, but it will be a challenging task.
Other tasks mentioned by the brigadier general include interacting with the paramilitary Lithuanian Riflemen's Union, and assisting local governments and civilian institutions in preparing for emergencies.
The tasks also include forming a national division and achieving its full operational capability, which "will allow us to fill capability gaps and will be a clear signal to the Allies of our own contribution to the defense of the Alliance", he said.
Kestutis Budrys, Nauseda's chief national security advisor, said while presenting the nomination to the parliament that the president had met with several candidates and that his requirements for them included a consistent military career, international experience, and clear leadership qualities.
The advisor outlined the president's expectations, including achieving the division's full operational capability by 2030.
Vaiksnoras is currently serving as deputy chief of staff for military training at the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE).
His has in the past served as commander of the Lithuanian Land Force, the force's deputy chief of staff for operations, chief of the Operations Department at the Defense Staff, and commander of the Iron Wolf brigade.
The five-year term of office of Rupsys, the incumbent chief of defense, is set to expire in July.
According to the Constitution, the president appoints and dismisses the chief of defense with the parliament's approval.
Both ruling and opposition MPs interviewed by BNS last week said they were in favor of the nomination.
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VILNIUS, Jun 11, BNS – The National Defense Volunteer Force's exercise involving about 1,100 Lithuanian and NATO allied troops and members of the paramilitary Riflemen's Union got underway in northern Lithuania on Tuesday.
Troops from the National Defense Volunteer Force and other Land Force units will be training along with allied soldiers from the United Kingdom, the United States, Latvia, France, Denmark, and Germany in a number of northern districts until Sunday.
The exercise will take place during both daylight and nighttime hours: troops will move on foot or in wheeled military vehicles, using simulated ammunition and explosives, special equipment, and smoke grenades.
A large part of the tasks will be carried out in civilian areas, the military said in a press release.
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VILNIUS, Jun 11, BNS – A Lithuanian court has decided to adjourn in controversial ex-MP Petras Grazulis' LGBTIQ contempt case after he was elected to the European Parliament on Sunday.
On Tuesday, Vilnius Regional Court also ordered, Jurgita Jasiuniene, the prosecutor in this case,, to ask the Central Electoral Commission for permission to prosecute Grazulis.
"The court adjourned and told me to ask the CEC for permission to prosecute Petras Grazulis. (...) He has been elected (to the EP – BNS), but it is not officially confirmed, the official data will be available in about a week and until Grazulis receives his MEP mandate he may be prosecuted," Jasiuniene told reporters.
If the CEC allows Grazulis to be prosecuted, the court will have about a month to deliver its verdict. The EP will hold its first sitting in mid-July and then Grazulis will get legal immunity.
Grazulis is accused of publicly ridiculing and expressing contempt for a group of persons or a person on grounds of their sexual orientation.
Prosecutors launched an investigation against him on May 26, 2022 after Grazulis' statement in a parliament corridor.
On May 26, 2022, after the Seimas gave its initial backing to the civil union bill legalizing same-sex unions, Grazulis met several representatives of the LGBTIQ community as he was leaving the plenary session hall and called them degenerates spreading STDs, and said they should get treatment.
Last year, the Lithuanian Seimas stripped Grazulis, 65, of his mandate for breaking his oath as a lawmaker, after he voted for another MP.
By Vilmantas Venckūnas
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VILNIUS, Jun 11, BNS – Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte met with her Dutch counterpart Mark Rutte in Berlin on Tuesday and discussed support for Ukraine, the response to Russia's hybrid aggression, the forthcoming NATO summit in Washington, and EU current affairs.
"We have neither the reason nor the luxury to assume that the long-term Russian threat to Europe and to transatlantic security will fade," Simonyte was quoted as saying in a statement released by the government press service. "Our priority must be the victory of Ukraine and investment in our own defense and deterrence, vigilance on all fronts where Russia is targeting the democratic world, including through acts of hybrid aggression which must not go unanswered."
Ukraine's future membership in NATO must also remain one of the alliance's priorities, and bringing the country closer to membership at the next NATO summit in Washington would send an important signal to both Ukrainians and the aggressor Russia, the Lithuanian prime minister aid after the meeting.
Rutte is the leading contender to replace Norway's Jens Stoltenberg as NATO secretary general as he has already secured backing from the UK, Germany, the US and Lithuania.
Simonyte also thanked the Dutch prime minister for his country's participation in the NATO Forward Presence in Lithuania, the Rotational Air Defense Model and NATO's Baltic Air Policing mission, which "significantly contribute to the security of NATO's eastern flank and the Alliance as a whole".
The meeting also discussed EU issues, Community incentives for the development of the defense industry, and the implementation and strengthening of sanctions against Russia and Belarus.
The Netherlands will send its Patriot long-range air defense system to Lithuania for several weeks of army drills in July.
Simonyte is on Tuesday attending the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Berlin.
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VILNIUS, Jun 11, BNS – Lithuania's Chief of Defense General Valdemaras Rupsys is visiting Germany to discuss NATO regional defense plans and the deployment of the German brigade assigned to Lithuania.
During the visit, the general is scheduled to meet with his German counterpart Carsten Breuer, and representatives of the federal Ministry of Defense, the Lithuanian army told BNS on Tuesday.
"The chiefs of defense will discuss military cooperation in the bilateral and NATO context, NATO's regional defense plans, their implementation through the generation of assigned capabilities and military exercises," the army said.
"The Lithuanian and German chiefs of defense will also discuss relevant aspects of the permanent deployment of he 45th Brigade Lithuania of the Bundeswehr in Lithuania," the statement added.
Lithuania and Germany have been cooperating closely in the field of security in recent years.
Since 2017, Berlin has been leading the NATO multinational battalion deployed in Lithuania. Also, Germany intends to deploy its army brigade in Lithuania by 2027 to enhance regional security mid Russia's ongoing war in Ukraine.
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VILNIUS, Jun 12, BNS – The following events are scheduled in Lithuania for Wednesday, June 12, 2024.
CULTURE MINISTER Simonas Kairys to continue his working visit to Berlin.
JUSTICE MINISTER Ewelina Dobrowolska to attend the General Assembly of the Council of the Notariats of the European Union (CNUE) at 10 a.m.; to meet with Poland's Deputy Justice Minister Maria Ejchart at 4 p.m.
By Greta Zulonaitė
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VILNIUS, Jun 11, BNS – As a Belarusian court on Tuesday found a Lithuanian woman guilty of spying, Lithuania's State Security Department has called the verdict 'baseless insinuations'.
"The KGB, one of the key pillars of the Belarusian regime, made absurd accusations that she had undermined Belarus' national security while living in Lithuania," the SSD said in a statement on Tuesday.
According to Belarusian media, Elena Ramanauskiene was found guilty of spying by a Minsk city court and sentenced to six years in prison.
"The charges against Ramanauskiene are untrue," the SSD states. "Ramanauskiene has not engaged in any activity that could in any way harm Belarus, and therefore these charges are baseless insinuations."
The opposition news website afn.by and the ONT TV cannel reported earlier in the day that Ramanauskiene, an employee of Belorus, a Belaruina-owned sanatorium in Lithuania's southern city of Druskininkai, had been found guilty of agent activities.
The trial took place behind closed doors. The 59-year-old woman was accused of repeatedly passing on information about incoming guests, including high-ranking Belarusian officials.
She was allegedly recruited by Lithuanian special services more than 10 years ago.
The Lithuanian Foreign Ministry told BNS it’s aware of the situation, but stressed it had no reason to believe the allegations were substantiated.
The ministry also once again reiterates its recommendation not to travel to Belarus, warning that Lithuanian citizens may be illegally detained in Belarus, face false accusation, and be interrogated by Belarusian security officers.
The 15min news website reported earlier that Ramanauskiene may have been detained by Belarusian officers last year when she was on her way back to Lithuania from Belarus where she was visiting family members.
In the summer of 2023, Belarusian media reported that Andrei Kobel, the former head doctor of the Belorus sanatorium in Lithuania's southern resort town of Druskininkai, would be tried for spying for Lithuania. He was detained by the Belarusian KGB in late 2022.
Afn.by points out now that he was earlier sentenced to nine years in prison. According to ONT, he is already serving his sentence.
By Augustas Stankevičius
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IN THIS ISSUE:
VILNIUS, Jun 05, BNS – The following events are scheduled in Lithuania for Wednesday, June 5, 2024.
SPEAKER OF THE SEIMAS Viktorija Cmilyte-Nielsen to attend a reception on the occasion of Denmark's Constitution Day at 4 p.m.
JUSTICE MINISTER Ewelina Dobrowolska to meet with Polish Foreign Vice Minister Henryka Moscicka-Dendys at 3.15 p.m.
INTERIOR MINISTER Agne Bilotaite attending the 8th European Civil Protection Forum in Brussels.
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VILNIUS, Jun 05, BNS – Lithuanian border guards have in the past 24 hours recorded no attempts to cross into the country from Belarus illegally, the State Border Guard Service (SBGS) said on Wednesday morning.
Latvia reported three attempts at illegal border crossings on Tuesday, and 181 irregular migrants were not allowed into Poland on Monday, according to the latest available information.
A total of 226 irregular migrants have been barred from entering Lithuania from Belarus at non-designated places so far this year.
The influx of irregular migrants to the EU's eastern member states from Belarus began in 2021 and is blamed by the West on the Minsk regime.
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.
Lithuanian border guards have prevented a total of almost 22,000 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.
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VILNIUS, Jun 05, BNS – Some 21,500 people, or 0.9 percent of all eligible voters, cast their ballots on the first day of early voting in Lithuania's European Parliament elections on Tuesday, according to figures from the Central Electoral Commission (CEC).
This is slightly up from around 18,000, or 0.74 percent, on the first day of advance voting in the previous European Parliament elections five years ago. However, the early voting period lasted five days back then, compared to three days now.
Early voting will continue until Thursday evening. Voters can vote at any early voting location between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m.
Candidates fielded by 14 political parties and one coalition are vying for Lithuania's 11 seats in the European Parliament.
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KLAIPEDA, Lithuania, Jun 05, BNS – A pre-sail conference in the Lithuanian port city of Klaipeda on Wednesday is kicking off Baltic Operations 2024 (BALTOPS 24), the largest military exercise ever held in the Baltic Sea.
The Lithuanian Armed Forces said in a press release on Tuesday that more than 30 Allied warships, manned by over 4,000 seamen, marines, navy aviation and other navy specialist personnel, were expected to arrive in Klaipeda in the run-up to the exercise.
"Representatives of the training audience will stay in Klaipeda on June 4 through 7 to take part in the Pre-Sail Conference for the second time hosted by the Lithuanian Navy," the military said.
The conference will take place at the city's Svyturio Arena, with Defense Minister Laurynas Kasciunas, Chief of Defense Valdemaras Rupsys, and Thomas Edwards Ishee, the BALTOPS 24 commander, to give speeches and comments to the media.
"This is an event where the final touches are put on a long planning process that has lasted probably a year," Lithuanian Naval Force Commander Giedrius Premeneckas told reporters earlier.
"Tasks are assigned to ship commanders and smaller tactical units, which is what is happening in Klaipeda now," he added.
The Armed Forces said in the press release that the exercise "will hone amphibious landing, fire support, anti-submarine warfare aircraft defense, mine hunting and sweeping, surface and underwater drone, and other operations".
According to Premeneckas, one of the strategic goals of the exercise is to "demonstrate NATO unity and the resolve to counter any aggressors."
The tactical phase in the Baltic Sea on June 7-22 will involve two Lithuanian Navy ships, the mine countermeasures vessel Skalvis and the patrol vessel Aukstaitis, and the Baltic Naval Squadron (BALTRON) under the command of Karolis Lileikis of the Lithuanian Navy.
This year will mark the first time Sweden, which has taken part in BALTOPS since 1990, will participate in the exercise as a NATO member nation.
BALTOPS is organized by the US Naval Forces Europe and Africa, and the US Sixth Fleet, with command and control provided by Naval Striking and Support Forces NATO (STRIKFORNATO).
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VILNIUS, Jun 05, BNS – If Garsu Pasaulis, a Lithuanian company that produces Lithuanian passport forms and was linked to an oligarch close to the Minsk regime, is declared unreliable, other passport production options would be considered, Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte has told the 15min news website as the country's State Security Department is looking into media reports on the company's possible links with Minsk.
"All measures have now been taken to verify the credibility of this company. As the Interior Ministry has informed, the interior minister has once again asked the SSD to reassess the company's credibility in terms of threats to national security, even though the company has a SSD-issued service provider's security certificate. In addition, the company is also being checked by the Financial Crime Investigation Service," Simonyte said in a statement released by the government's press service.
"If the company is found unreliable, other possibilities for the production of personal documents will be sought," the statement reads.
According to 15min, the FCIS is also currently conducting a probe into possible links between Garsu Pasaulis and Minsk, and the Seimas Committee on National Security and Defense is expected to consider the situation during closed-door meetings.
15min reported last week that in 2011, the company that owned Garsu Pasaulis and Golograficheskaya Industriya, a hologram maker with a monopoly in Belarus, set up a joint company in Lithuania, GP Holographics, and t supplied Garsu Pasaulis with holographic film used in the production of third party documents.
Viktor Shevtsov, dubbed as Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenk's "wallet", is one of the shareholders of Golograficheskaya Industriya.
15min also reported that Garsu Pasaulis would produce alternative passports designed by the Belarusian opposition, and that this company was proposed by a Belarusian who used to work for the interior system in Minsk. Mikita Zabuga, a Belarusian citizen who has asylum in Lithuania, suggested that the Belarusian opposition should work with Garsu Pasaulis.
Ana Janauskiene, head of Garsu Pasaulis, told 15min that all ties with GP Holographics were severed in 2022 after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine when all shares were sold and no orders were made.
15min found that, Garsu Pasaulis sold its shares in GP Holographics to Shevtsov via an intermediary. Nevertheless, Garsu Pasaulis and GP Holographics still share the same address in Vilnius and the same administrator and accountant.
Shevtsov now owns 70 percent of GP Holographics. Another 10 percent belong to Golograficheskaya Industriya and its CEO Alexander Babarenko has a 15 percent stake.
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VILNIUS, Jun 05, BNS – Vilnius University (VU) has climbed 34 positions to rank 439th in QS World University Rankings 2025, and Vytautas Magnus University (VDU) and Kaunas University of Technology (KTU) have also improved their standings.
"I am pleased to see that we have made significant progress in graduate employability indicators and scored exceptionally highly in the faculty-student ratio," VU Rector Rimvydas Petrauskas said in a press release.
VU slid to number 473 in last year's QS world rankings, from 400 the previous year.
VU's graduate employability indicator improved significantly, rising 220 positions to 105th place compared to last year, according to the press release.
VDU and KTU also saw slight increases in their rankings compared to last year. VDU is now ranked 741-750, up from 801-850 last year, and KTU is placed 751-760, up from 801-850.
"We are extremely pleased with this ranking. Global competition among universities is growing dramatically, and this year, the QS ranking has been given to many more institutions than last year, which is why VDU's rise in the ranking is a very significant achievement," VDU Rector Juozas Augutis said in a press release.
However, Vilnius Gediminas Technical University (Vilnius TECH) has dropped in the rankings, from 801-850 last year to 851-900 this year.
Mykolas Romeris University maintains the same position and is ranked among the top 1001–1200 universities in the world.
The QS World University Rankings assess higher education institutions based on the following eight criteria: academic reputation, employer reputation, citations per faculty, faculty student ratio, international faculty ratio, international research network, international students ratio, and sustainability.
This year's QS rankings evaluated 5,663 institutions from 106 countries, with 21 institutions ranked for the first time.
As usual, the top-ranked universities are from the US and the UK: the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Imperial College London, Oxford University, Harvard University, Cambridge University, and Stanford University.
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VILNIUS, Jun 05, BNS – The Lithuanian Seimas Committee on Foreign Affairs has called for EU sanctions against Georgia, adding that EU politicians should be encouraged to visit the country.
"The committee called for an unequivocal response to the retaliatory measures imposed by the United States i.e. sanctions, and to seek those sanctions in Brussels," Zygimantas Pavilionis, the committee chair, told journalists on Wednesday.
The committee made such a decision after it was briefed by Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis on the situation in Georgia on Wednesday.
In May, Georgia adopted a "foreign influence" law despite mass protests and calls from foreign countries to repeal it. The new legislation drew strong reactions from the West, including Lithuania. The law was signed on Monday by the country's Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili.
The law requires non-governmental organizations and media outlets that receive more than 20 percent of their funding from abroad to register as "agents of foreign influence".
For his part, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced in May visa restrictions for "individuals who are responsible for or complicit in undermining democracy in Georgia".
"We called for continued visits. The Georgian government (...) is doing its utmost to make sure that no one pays attention to what is actually being achieved by these measures. (The goal is – BNS) to close most NGOs, to clean up the space before the election and then to have an election they want. Well, this should not be allowed," Pavilionis said.
Georgia will elect a new parliament in October.
Having visited Tbilisi in May together with his Baltic and Icelandic counterparts, Landsbergis told journalists that the adoption of the "foreign influence" law was an extremely serious violation, adding that the EU must send a "clear signal" that Georgia's path to the EU is blocked.
"I told you about the mood in the EU and what position we could take. (...) A report was presented to EU ministers on how the passed law and the veto affects Georgia's EU path. So, a single provision, and out of the nine recommendations that are conditional on the granting of candidate status, three of them are violated by one law and one third is violated by one law," the minister said.
In May, Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili vetoed the "foreign influence" law, but her veto was overridden by the parliament.
Critics have condemned the law, saying it is similar to the one in Russia and aimed at silencing critics of Moscow. Brussels argues that the law is incompatible with Georgia's long-standing ambition to become an EU member.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said last week that the EU and its member states were "considering all options to react to these developments".
Pavilionis points out that not everyone in Brussels wants to see the deteriorating situation in Georgia.
Fr his part, Landsbergis notes that Hungary has for the time being suspended "any assessment of the situation".
"All we can do now is to put the words of Europe in Borrell's mouth. But there is no European word. So I think that any sanctions or anything like that, if there was a political attempt to assess the situation, they would be blocked," the foreign minister said.
Hungary itself has encouraged other EU member states to adopt "foreign influence" legislation similar to the one in Georgia
The ruling Georgian Dream party is increasingly being accused of steering the country away from a Western trajectory towards Russia. However, the party, in power since 2012, claims to be committed to Georgia's European goals and defends the law as an effort to increase the transparency of NGO funding.
Many NGOs in Georgia have vowed to resist and oppose the law.
Activists, independent journalists and opposition politicians in Georgia have accused the government of a concerted campaign of violence and threats against NGO leaders.
"There have been multiple violations of human rights. Numerous people, both from opposition and NGOs, the media, have been subjected to physical violence, harassment, and their family members are still being harassed. This is again a gross violation of human rights which could be condemned by the EU," Landsbergis said.
"The political processes taking place in the parliament are one path, but next to that there are people on the streets who face violence, and that violence, for example, I probably don't have that information, but I wouldn't be very surprised that somebody is ordering it. The EU has instruments to track and find people and they could be put on the sanction list," he noted.
For their part, the opposition parties in Georgia on Monday started signing up to a pro-European political platform.
Pavilionis also called on Lithuania President Gitanas Nauseda to take initiative and express solidarity with the Georgian president.
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VILNIUS, Jun 05, BNS –Lithuania will contribute to the rebuilding of another school in Ukraine and the reconstruction of several rehabilitation centers after the Baltic country's government approved the implementation of these projects and allocated almost 11.4 million euros.
The reconstruction of a school in Mykolaiv will require 2.7 million euros, half of which will be provided by Lithuania. The other part of the money will come from the Taiwanese Representative Office in Lithuania, Arturas Zarnovskis, head of the Co-Create Future of Ukraine program, told BNS, adding that 18 months will be need to rebuild the school.
10 million euros have also been earmarked for the reconstruction of rehabilitation centers, and the work is planned to be completed within two years.
Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte announced Lithuania's plans to carry out these projects in April when Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal visited Vilnius.
Amid Russia's ongoing war in Ukraine, Lithuania has been regularly contributing to Ukraine's reconstruction, providing military and humanitarian aid. According to the Finance Ministry, Lithuania has already provided assistance to Ukraine that amounts to 1.5 percent of the country's GDP.
By Augustas Stankevičius
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VILNIUS, Jun 05, BNS – EU leaders must agree on the start of accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova at their summit in late June, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda told European Council President Charles Michel on Wednesday.
In their phone conversation, Nauseda said the European Council meeting is "the right moment that will allow the European integration process of Ukraine and Moldova to proceed in a timely and smooth manner", thus it is necessary to find a consensus on this issue, the Lithuanian president's office said in a press release.
The two officials also discussed preparations for the European Council's meetings, this week's European Parliament elections, and the EU's new political cycle.
Nauseda said the new political cycle should bring even more certainty, unity, and the ability to effectively represent the EU's interests on the global stage, adding that efforts must continue to strengthen the bloc's defense industry, economic resilience and competitiveness.
In December, the EU took the important step of agreeing to open negotiations on the accession of Ukraine and Moldova to the 27-member bloc. Several EU countries in late May called for the talks to begin in June, but Hungary is threatening to obstruct this process.
For the negotiations to actually start, the bloc's member states still have to sign a formal framework for the process, proposed in March by Brussels.
Ukraine applied to join the EU shortly after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of the country in February 2022.
The EU granted official candidate status to Ukraine and Moldova in June 2022, and is now urging both countries to speed up procedures to bring them closer to joining the bloc.
However, the process of necessary reforms is likely to take years before they can finally become EU members.
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VILNIUS, Jun 05, BNS – The Lithuanian Cabinet proposes that President Gitanas Nauseda appoint Rolandas Krisciunas, first deputy chancellor of the government, as ambassador to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), and Inga Stanyte-Tolockiene as ambassador to Ukraine.
Deputy Foreign Minister Egidijus Meilunas is nominated as ambassador to Canada, and Darius Vitkauskas as ambassador to Georgia.
Three of the diplomats would take up their duties in August: Vitkauskas on the 6th, Stanyte-Tolockiene on the 19th, and Krisciunas on the 26th. Meilunas would assume his new role on December 9.
Prior to his appointment to his current position of first deputy chancellor in August 2021, Krisciunas worked as an advisor to Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte on foreign policy and EU issues.
His past career includes positions as Lithuania's ambassador to the US, and deputy finance minister and deputy foreign minister.
Stanyte-Tolockiene is currently serving as the Foreign Ministry's policy director responsible for coordinating the implementation of Lithuania's key foreign policy issues.
She has in the past served as Lithuania's ambassador to Armenia and as minister counsellor at Lithuania's Permanent Representation to the European Union.
Vitkauskas is currently director of the Foreign Ministry's Eastern Neighborhood Policy Department. He has in the past headed Lithuania's Consulate General in Almaty, Kazakhstan.
Meilunas has held the post of foreign vice-minister since 2020. He has in the past served as Lithuania's ambassador to Poland, Japan and Ireland.
In Lithuania, ambassadors are appointed by the president on the government's nomination and with the approval of the parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs.
By Augustas Stankevičius
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VILNIUS, Jun 05, BNS – Vilpra, a heating systems trading and installation group controlled by the family of Lithuania's former presidential candidate Ignas Vegele, is exporting air conditioners to Kyrgyzstan via Latvia after Lithuanian customs officials refused to clear the shipments, according to a joint investigation by Siena (Wall), Laisves TV and Latvia's Re:Baltic.
It was reported earlier that Vilpra may have been circumventing EU sanctions against Russia and Belarus by exporting air conditioners to Kyrgyzstan.
The Lithuanian Customs Department has confirmed to Siena that it blocked Vilpra's air conditioner shipment to Kyrgyzstan in June 2023, citing sanctions control as the reason.
The department has also confirmed that its inspection of Vilpra, which began in April, is ongoing.
Information obtained by Re:Baltica shows that the export of air conditioners to Kyrgyzstan was redirected through the Latvian border and was developed by SIA Vilpra, the group's Latvian company. he total export volume last year and this year exceeded 600,000 euros.
Latvia's Vilpra has confirmed to the journalists that it exports air conditioners to Kyrgyzstan and that it has declarations signed by its customers stating that the goods are not destined for the Russian or Belarusian markets.
Vegele said after the first round of the presidential election that he had lost some votes following the journalists' first investigation into the export of air conditioners to Kyrgyzstan, and that he was considering taking legal action.
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KLAIPEDA, Lithuania, Jun 05, BNS - Russia has significant maritime capabilitie, Thomas Edwards Ishee, commander of Exercise BALTOPS 24, says, adding that the lessons learned from the Russia-Ukraine war are important for deterrence in the Baltic Sea.
"My assessment is that Russia still does have some significant capability in the maritime. And certainly in anti-access and area denial they are a capable nation that has these capabilities," the United States Navy vice admiral told a press conference in Klaipeda on Wednesday.
This, he said, is something that NATO allies need to be concerned about as they work to defend the Alliance as a whole, including the recently acceded Finland and Sweden that share much of the Baltic Sea coast.
"It plays in to how we would defend all of the Baltic nations that are NATO nations in the region.
The specific capabilities I won't get into but we're very much aware of what is going on in the Black Sea, in the war between Russia and Ukraine," he said.
"Seeing some of the developments that had happened in the Black Sea both on the Russian side and the Ukrainian side, and making sure that we understand those lessons, we're prepared to defend those threats, should they be used in the Baltic Sea," the BALTOPS 24 commander said.
BALTOPS 24, the largest military exercise ever held in the Baltic Sea, starts with a pre-sail conference taking place on Wednesday and Thursday at the Svyturys Arena. This is the second time the event has been organized in Lithuania.
According to the military, 30 allied ships are currently moored in Klaipeda, and their number may change before the exercise starts. They are manned by over 4,000 sailors, marines, naval aviators and other naval specialists.
The active phase at sea will take place on June 7-20.
BALTOPS is organized by the US Naval Forces Europe and Africa, and the US Sixth Fleet, with command and control provided by Naval Striking and Support Forces NATO (STRIKFORNATO).
By Dominykas Biržietis
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VILNIUS, Jun 05, BNS – The Lithuanian government on Wednesday allocated 100,000 euros in humanitarian aid to flood-hit Armenia.
The funds are being provided from the government's reserve in response to a request for assistance from Yerevan.
Floods in northern Armenia in late May damaged roads and bridges, claiming at least two lives and forcing the evacuation of around 200 people.
Several bridges and part of a key road linking the mountainous Caucasus country with Georgia collapsed as the River Debed spilled over its banks.
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VILNIUS, Jun 05, BNS - The Lithuanian government on Wednesday backs plans to ensure that women held at least a third of senior positions at listed companies by July 2026.
According to the Social Security and Labor Ministry, the amendments to the Law on Equal Opportunities for Women and Men are aimed at increasing the number of female executives.
"In Lithuania, we have the leading numbers of women scientists and engineers, but the number of women in management positions, on boards and as directors is below the EU average," said Minister Monika Navickiene said at a government meeting.
Under the proposal, 33-49 percent of members of management and supervisory bodies of large listed companies should be women, and women should also fill 33-49 percent of positions of executives, board members and members of Supervisory Councils.
According to the ministry, data from the European Institute for Gender Equality shows that the share of women on the boards of the largest listed companies in the EU-27 is 33 percent, compared to 25 percent in Lithuania.
This new initiative proposes transposing the provisions of the EU Directive on Women on Boards into national law, the ministry said.
The amendments will still need parliamentary approval.
Editor: Roma Pakėnienė
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VILNIUS, Jun 05, BNS – Lithuania is planning to conclude this summer contracts for the purchase of additional medium- and short-range air defense systems, Defense Minister Laurynas Kasciunas said on Wednesday.
"Together with the prime minister, we are now looking for all possible ways to make decisions over the summer on contracting these systems," Kasciunas told reporters after presenting planned new arms acquisitions to the parliamentary Committee on National Security and Defense.
"We are talking about an additional medium-range air defense system, a short-range air defense system and certain mechanization processes so that all of this can be included in the contract," the minister said.
"I believe we are going to have good news in early July," he added.
Kasciunas said in May that Lithuania was considering acquiring Iris-T medium-range air defense systems from Germany.
The minister said on Wednesday that he also briefed the parliamentary committee on the architecture of the division being developed in Lithuania and efforts to "make it heavier", as well as the layers of air defense that are planned to be reinforced.
Draft amendments to the Law on the Principled Structure of the Armed Forces, which passed the first reading in the parliament on Tuesday, call for expanding the military structure to create new units – an infantry division and a tank battalion.
"Tanks are moving on schedule. I mean they are now in the consultation processes and then we will see how we align in time with our budgetary possibilities," the minister said.
Lithuania plans to buy Leopard 2 tanks for the development of the division, but wants to do so in stages to able to speed up the acquisition of air defense weapons.
By Paulius Perminas
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KLAIPEDA, Lithuania, Jun 05, BNS –The BALTOPS'24 military exercise in the Baltic Sea will focus on landing operations and will take place mainly in the central part of the sea.
"Amphibious operations are going to be our main focus in this BALTOPS. I think there's a great opportunity to learn and relearn a lot about this war-fighting domain," Thomas Edwards Ishee, a US Navy vice admiral and the BALTOPS'24 commander, told a press conference in Klaipeda on Wednesday.
In his words, work related to mine counter-measures, air defense, medical response, multi-domain combined and joint operations, and the protection of vital sea links of communication will continue. The operations will take place throughout the Baltic region, especially in the deep part of the Baltic Sea, primarily its central part, and a little bit in its western and eastern sides.
"There will be a lot of air defense exercises, a lot of anti-surface exercises, some anti-submarine exercises, some amphibious operations when we will actually put some forces ashore in various places and we have several amphibious task groups that are participating in this," Ishee said, adding that there will be some call for fire operations.
He also pointed out that Sweden and Finland, which have recently joined NATO, have been BALTOPS partners in for decades, so "their participation this year is about the same as it was last year, maybe it's a bit more this year as allies".
His position was echoed by Deputy Commander of the Swedish Navy Colonel Adam Camel,, stating that Sweden has been a member of NATO's Partnership for Peace program since 1994.
"We're already quite integrated within the NATO, but if you're not part of the Alliance than you can't make the last step, you see. We have been very well welcomed and we do feel like a member of the Alliance, I would say," he said.
BALTOPS'24, the largest military exercise ever held in the Baltic Sea, starts with a pre-sail conference taking place on Wednesday and Thursday at the Svyturys Arena. This is the second time the event has been organized in Lithuania.
According to the military, 30 allied ships are currently moored in Klaipeda, and their number may change before the exercise starts. They are manned by over 4,000 sailors, marines, naval aviators and other naval specialists.
The active phase at sea will take place on June 7-20.
BALTOPS'24 is organized by the US Naval Forces Europe and Africa, and the US Sixth Fleet, with command and control provided by Naval Striking and Support Forces NATO (STRIKFORNATO).
By Dominykas Biržietis
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VILNIUS, Jun 05, BNS – There are no more obstacles for the Baltic states to synchronize their energy system with that of continental Europe in February 2025 and to notify Russia and Belarus in August of the termination of the BRELL agreement, Lithuanian Energy Minister Dainius Kreivys says.
"The progress is certainly the right one, the pace is the right one, and we do not see any major obstacles to sending a letter in early August so we can start the BRELL exit in February, first, the test (of isolated operation - BNS) and then the connection to the continental European grid," Kreivys told BNS after a meeting of the Lithuanian government's synchronization commission on Wednesday.
In his words, the content of the letter on the non-renewal of the BRELL contract has already been agreed between the Baltic TSOs and they will decide on the exact date of its dispatch: "The TSO agreement is in place, the documents have been prepared, we don't see any problems."
Under the terms of the BRELL contract, notice of non-renewal must be given by August 7, six months before the disconnection from the Russian IPS/UPS electricity system and the planned synchronization.
"There is no reason why synchronization could not take place early next year. (...) We do not see any problems with the implementation of the technical projects in any of the countries," Kreivys said.
In August 2023, the Baltic prime ministers signed a declaration committing to synchronize the Baltic electricity grids with Western Europe by February 2025. The commitment was confirmed in December in a declaration signed by the European Commission and the Baltic and Polish ministers in charge of energy.
Earlier, synchronization with Europe was scheduled for the end of 2025.
Editor: Roma Pakėnienė
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