LITHUANIA DAILY NEWS BULLETIN

IN THIS ISSUE:

1. Upcoming events in Lithuania for Wednesday, September 6, 2023
2. Lithuania records no illegal border crossings from Belarus
3. Abducted child returned from Russia to Lithuania 
4. Lithuanian foreign minister to meet Baltic, Nordic counterparts in Latvia
5. Girl returned from Russia to Lithuania has no health issues – child rights chief
6. Lithuanian parlt should put Zemaitaitis impeachment on agenda in Sept – speaker 
7. Lithuania reports 144 new COVID-19 cases, no deaths
8. Lithuania to grant EUR 50,000 in support for expat non-profit organizations' events 
9. Lithuania plans to contest EC's decision to reduce agricultural support by EUR 13 mln
10. Lithuanian first lady attends Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen in Kyiv
11. Lithuania to install antenna field near Butinge for communication with allied ships
12. Lithuania falls to 13th position in digital quality of life rating
13. Number of Wagner fighters in Belarus decreasing – Lithuanian minister 
14. Lithuania to contest EC's decision to reduce agricultural support by EUR 13 mln (updates)
15. Lithuania to hold exercise in Sept to prepare for possible accident at Belarusian N-plant
16. New CEO of Lithuanian Airports sees Madrid, Geneva destinations as strategically important
17. Lithuanian body investigates if man who abducted daughter has Russian citizenship
18. Girl handed over to Lithuanian mother as Russian officials summoned father for questioning (media)
19. Lithuanian president calls to speed up Rail Baltica, Via Baltica, Via Carpatia projects
20. Upcoming events in Lithuania for Thursday, September 7, 2023

Upcoming events in Lithuania for Wednesday, September 6, 2023

VILNIUS, Sept 06, BNS – The following events are scheduled in Lithuania for Wednesday, September 6, 2023:

PRESIDENT Gitanas Nauseda to attend the Three Seas Initiative (3SI) Summit and Business Forum in Bucharest, Romania.

SPEAKER OF THE SEIMAS Viktorija Cmilyte-Nielsen to appear on Pozicija (Position) on the Ziniu Radijas news radio at 8:05 a.m.; to make comments to the M-1 radio at 11:30 a.m.

PRIME MINISTER Ingrida Simonyte to chair the Cabinet's regular meeting and sitting at 1 p.m.

FOREIGN MINISTER Gabrielius Landsbergis to pay a working visit to Riga to attend an informal meeting of the Nordic-Baltic Eight (NB8) Foreign Ministers.

OTHER EVENTS

Events to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the liquidation of the Vilna ghetto to take place in Vilnius, including the opening of a dedicated exhibition at 6:30 p.m. and a concert of authentic ghetto songs at 7 p.m.

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Lithuania records no illegal border crossings from Belarus

VILNIUS, Sep 06, 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 63 attempts at illegal border crossings on Tuesday, and 95 irregular migrants were not allowed into Poland on Monday, according to the latest available information.

A total of 1,601 irregular migrants have been barred from entering Lithuania from Belarus at non-designated places so far this year. Some 11,200 irregular migrants were turned away in 2022.  

Lithuanian border guards have prevented around 20,900 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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Abducted child returned from Russia to Lithuania 

VILNIUS, Sep 06, BNS – A girl abducted and unlawfully taken to Russia by her father has been returned to Lithuania, the National Crisis Management Center (NCMC) has confirmed.  

"The girl is already in Lithuania," it said on Tuesday evening.

Social Security and Labor Minister Monika Navickiene later said that the girl and her mother were feeling well. 

"This is really touching news and I am very grateful to all Lithuanian institutions," the minister told LRT TV.

"I think that today we can celebrate our victory, because the mother and the child have reached their homeland safely," she added.

Navickiene said she could not disclose the details of the girl's return to Lithuania, but noted that the operation had been complicated and involved many people and institutions.

President Gitanas Nauseda on Tuesday evening thanked the authorities for their work and efforts. 

"Good news tonight: the girl who was unlawfully taken to Russia is already in Lithuania with her mother," the president posted on Facebook.

"I thank all the authorities for their sincere work and efforts to return the child to her homeland as quickly as possible!" he added. 

Lithuania's law-enforcement bodies launched a pre-trial investigation into the suspected child abduction after the girl's mother, who has custody of the child, complained to the Klaipeda district police on August 27 that the 37-year-old man had taken their daughter and failed to return her at the agreed time.

Based on information available to the authorities, the man and his daughter crossed the Skirvyte River, which marks the state border between Lithuania and Russia, by boat on the same day. 

 A Lithuanian court last Friday issued an in absentia arrest warrant for the man on suspicions of child abduction and illegal crossing of the state border.

 

By Greta Zulonaitė

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Lithuanian foreign minister to meet Baltic, Nordic counterparts in Latvia

VILNIUS, Sep 06, BNS – Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis is heading to Latvia on Wednesday for informal talks with his Nordic-Baltic Eight (NB8) counterparts on the strengthening of regional security and resilience, and support for Ukraine.

The foreign ministers of Denmark, Estonia, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Finland and Sweden will also discuss closer NB8 cooperation and other important regional issues at their meetings in Riga and Cesis, the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry has said.

The NB8 is an informal regional cooperation format that brings together the five Nordic and three Baltic states.

The countries rotate each year to coordinate the NB8's activities and to organize and host that year's meetings. Latvia coordinates the NB8 cooperation this year and Lithuania did so last year.

 

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Girl returned from Russia to Lithuania has no health issues – child rights chief

VILNIUS, Sep 06, BNS – The girl who was returned from Russia to Lithuania on Tuesday evening has not suffered any health problems, Ilma Skuodiene, director of the State Child Rights Protection and Adoption Service, said on Wednesday morning, adding that the authorities will continue to keep in touch with her mother for any necessary assistance.

"The girl is really safe and there seems to be no real health problems or other things," she told LRT TV.

The girl was unlawfully taken to Russia by her father on August 27. On that day, her mother contacted the police to report that Algirdas Svanys, 37, had taken their daughter and had not returned her at the agreed time.

The search revealed that the man and his daughter had crossed the Skirvyte River, which marks the state border between Lithuania and Russia. 

Russian officials said that Svanys holds both Russian and Lithuanian passports, which complicated the return of the child. 

The girl's mother travelled to Russia on Tuesday to take her daughter back home.

According to Skuodiene, this experience has been an extraordinary shock for both the mother and the little girl, so they will continue to receive all the necessary assistance.

"Today, we agreed to stay in touch to see what assistance the girl and her mother need," she said. "The most important thing now is that they get some rest and we are ready to help as much as we can." 

The official said Russia's child rights authorities had collaborated with Lithuanian agencies "from the very beginning", providing the necessary information and "actively participating in providing assistance and in reuniting the girl with her mother."

Skuodiene said she had no information on how the girl's father would proceed and whether he was planning to return to Lithuania.

 A Lithuanian court has issued an arrest warrant for the man on suspicions of child abduction and illegal crossing of the state border.

 

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Lithuanian parlt should put Zemaitaitis impeachment on agenda in Sept – speaker 

VILNIUS, Sep 06, BNS – The Seimas should put the issue of initiating impeachment proceedings against MP Remigijus Zemaitaitis over his anti-Semitic comments on its agenda in September, Viktorija Cmilyte-Nielsen, speaker of the Lithuanian parliament, said on Wednesday. 

"I think the text will be drafted in the near future, and it would be worthwhile to include this issue in the agenda at the beginning of the session, in September," Cmilyte-Nielsen told the Ziniu Radijas radio station. 

"There is no need to postpone it," she added.

The speaker said it "is hard for me to predict now" how many MPs would support the impeachment motion.

The MP's remarks and rhetoric "which certainly goes beyond the boundaries of just risky talk in the Seimas hall" requires an assessment and the parliament will make it, according to Cmilyte-Nielsen. 

Zemaitaitis posted several anti-Semitic remarks on his Facebook page in June, expressing his anger over Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte's visit to Israel and accusing Jews of deporting and killing Lithuanians.

Commenting on the demolition of a Palestinian primary school by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank, the MP likened Israel to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is waging war in Ukraine, and quoted an anti-Semitic folk counting-out rhyme.  

His remarks were condemned by Lithuanian leaders and foreign diplomats.

The remark about the demolition of the Palestinian school prompted the board of the Lithuanian Freedom and Justice Party to suspended Zemaitaitis' membership of the party. 

The MP insists that his statements about Jews are based on material found in archives.

Following Zemaitaitis' remarks, the Lithuanian Prosecutor General's Office in late June opened a pre-trial investigation based on the Criminal Code's article on public contempt and incitement to hatred against any national, racial, ethnic, religious or other group of people.

The prosecutors said they would take further decisions after receiving expert opinions.

 

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Lithuania reports 144 new COVID-19 cases, no deaths

VILNIUS, Sep 06, BNS – Lithuania has recorded 144 new coronavirus infections and no deaths from COVID-19 over the past 24 hours, official statistics showed on Wednesday morning.

The number of COVID-19 patients in hospitals stands at 31.

The 14-day primary infection rate has risen to 40.1 cases per 100,000 people, with the seven-day percentage of positive tests at 21.4 percent.

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

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

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

 

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Lithuania to grant EUR 50,000 in support for expat non-profit organizations' events 

VILNIUS, Sep 06, BNS – The Economy and Innovation Ministry said on Wednesday it will grant 50,000 euros to Lithuanian expatriate non-profit organizations to support their "economic diplomacy" events.

Economy and Innovation Minister Ausrine Armonaite said in a press release that Lithuanians living abroad represent and promote their homeland and contribute to its progress. 

Organizations can apply for support for events and related activities such as attracting talent and foreign investment, and promoting exports and encouraging inbound tourism.

The maximum amount per project is 10 000 euros.

Applications will be accepted until the funding allocated to the scheme is exhausted.

Only projects due for implementation by December 10 will be eligible for funding.

 

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Lithuania plans to contest EC's decision to reduce agricultural support by EUR 13 mln

VILNIUS, Sept 06, BNS – Lithuania plans to appeal to the General Court of the European Union as it seeks to partially annul the European Commission's decision to reduce support for the country’s agriculture by more than 13 million euros.

The government will decide on the issue on Wednesday.

On July 3, the Commission decided to withhold 13.132 million euros in EU funding for livestock and crop production, but Lithuania is seeking to reduce the sanction, which Vilnius says is disproportionate.  

"The Lithuanian authorities propose to bring an action and ask the General Court to annul the contested decision insofar as it concerns the imposition of a disproportionately high financial correction on Lithuania," according to Lithuania's position paper drafted by the ministries of agriculture and justice.

According to the document, non-compliance with the Community’s cross compliance requirements led to a sanction of 7.6 million euros (the so-called financial correction) for Lithuania in 2019 whereas non-compliance with the requirements for voluntary coupled support for livestock resulted in a sanction of 5.5 million euros in 2020.

Lithuania seeks to reduce the amount of the financial correction to 2.2-4 million euros and 2.5 million euros, respectively.

The ministries of agriculture and justice intend to file an action for annulment of the EC decision by September 13.

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Lithuanian first lady attends Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen in Kyiv

VILNIUS, Sept 06, BNS – First Lady of Lithuania Diana Nausediene is visiting the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on Wednesday to attend the third Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen, the presidential office said in a press release.

She was invited to the event by Olena Zelenska, the spouse of the president of Ukraine.

The theme of this year’s summit is "Mental Health: Fragility and Resilience of the Future".

The first lady of Lithuania will take part in the session "War and Mental Health", which will focus on the mass impact of war on individual and societal psyche, on post-traumatic syndromes, and on the choice of the Ukrainians to fight against the ideology of aggression and cruelty, thus demonstrating the strength of their mentality to the whole world.

"I am happy to be able to visit free and proud Kyiv again. Together with extraordinary people who will not be defeated by any tyrant or aggressor. Who will stand against all odds in a free and independent Ukraine," the press release quoted Nausediene as saying.

On Wednesday, she will also visit the Ukrainian Book Institute and Borodyanka, a town close to Kyiv.

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Lithuania to install antenna field near Butinge for communication with allied ships

VILNIUS, Sep 06, BNS – Lithuania is planning to install an antenna field in the Baltic Sea resort of Palanga, near Butinge, to ensure secure communication with allied ships.

The government on Wednesday is expected to add a plot of land in Palanga to the list of military infrastructure needed to provide host nation support.

The Defense Ministry says in its explanatory note that the list will be "supplemented with military infrastructure for the installation of elements of a system of communication with allied vessels in Lithuanian territorial waters".

"The system of communication with ships at sea is called BRASS (Broadcast, Rear-Link And Ship-Shore)," the ministry said. "The aim of this system is to provide high quality, encrypted communications services to all allied ships operating in Lithuanian territorial waters, even in electronic warfare conditions." 

"This communication system is an alternative to costly and vulnerable satellite communications," it added. 

According to the ministry, most NATO countries, including Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Denmark, Norway and others, have such communication systems and its eastern member states, including Lithuania, are currently installing them.

"The need for the implementation of this communication system has been expressed by Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE)," the ministry noted.

SHAPE has allocated funds for the project.

The military infrastructure will be built on an area of about 13 hectares of state land which is undeveloped and non-urbanized and has no protected zones or natural and cultural heritage sites.

The Defense Ministry says the nearby Butinge oil terminal and the communication system will not affect each other's operation. 

 

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Lithuania falls to 13th position in digital quality of life rating

VILNIUS, Sept 06, BNS – Lithuania has edged down by two places to the 13th position among 121 countries in the Digital Quality of Life (DQL) rating published for the fifth time this year.

In a scale of 0 to 1, Lithuania scored 0.7 points, up from 0.66 last year, according to a survey by Surfshark, a virtual private network service.

According to Gabriele Racaityte-Krasauske, head of communications at Surfshark, despite Lithuania's higher score, its lower position in the ranking means that not only Lithuania's overall index, but also that of many other countries, is rising rapidly every year.

After leading the Baltic countries last year, Lithuania this year has fallen behind Estonia, which has jumped from the 14th to the 7th place with a score of 0.72 points. Latvia has moved up to the 28th place, from the 33rd, with a score of 0.64 points.

Lithuania has found itself among the top 20 countries in terms of two out of five survey criteria: cybersecurity (sharing the 2nd place with Estonia, 0.99 points) and internet accessibility (18th place, 0.37 points).

In terms of e-government services, Lithuania ranks 30th (0.78 points), e-infrastructure – 25th (0.88 points), and internet quality – 23rd (0.46 points).

According to Vilnius Mayor Valdas Benkunskas, Lithuania's rapid improvement in cybersecurity, digital literacy, and e-infrastructure is helping to attract the missing technology talent to the country.

"It is planned that Europe's largest technology city, worth 100 million euros, will open its doors in Vilnius as early as next year and will be followed by a technology park, worth 3.7 billion euros, in 2033,” he said.

France has topped the ranking this year with 0.79 points, followed by Finland (0.748), and Denmark (0.738).

Surfshark is a cybersecurity company offering a variety of online privacy and security solutions, such as a VPN, Antivirus, Alert, Search, and Incogni. It is part of cybersecurity company Nord Security, which became Lithuania's second "unicorn" in 2022. Last year, the two companies merged under Cyberspace, a Dutch-registered holding company.

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Number of Wagner fighters in Belarus decreasing – Lithuanian minister 

VILNIUS, Sep 06, BNS – The number of Wagner mercenaries in Belarus is decreasing, Lithuanian Defense Minister Arvydas Anusauskas said on Wednesday.

"I can only mention from public sources that there is a dynamic decrease," Anusauskas told reporters. 

"They are dispersing and moving to other territories, and some are leaving for vacations in Russia – or 'vacations' – as they are being recruited by other military companies," the minister said.

"The situation there is completely different from what it was three weeks ago," he added.

Lithuania and Poland said in early August that there were around 4,000 Wagner mercenaries in Belarus.

They started to relocate to Belarus after a failed mutiny in Russia.

 

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Lithuania to contest EC's decision to reduce agricultural support by EUR 13 mln (updates)

VILNIUS, Sep 06, BNS – The Lithuanian governmetn decided on Wednesday to ask the General Court of the European Union to partially annul the European Commission's decision to reduce support for the country’s agriculture by more than 13 million euros.

"Lithuania must seek to have the decision oveturned or amended in such a way that the financial correction applied to Lithuania is minimised to the maximum extent possible, while at the same time safeguarding Lithuania's financial interests," Deputy Agriculture Minister Vytautas Abukauskas said at the Cabinet's meeting.  

On July 3, the Commission decided to withhold 13.132 million euros in EU funding for livestock and crop production, but Lithuania is seeking to reduce the sanction, which Vilnius says is disproportionate.  

In Abukauskas' words, the EU's executive body violated the bloc's regulations when imposing the sanctions, failed to respect the principle of proportionality and the duty to cooperate while  applying a flat rate correction to Lithuania, and did not take into account the calculations submitted by the country. 

According to Lithuania's position paper drafted by the ministries of agriculture and justice, non-compliance with EU cross-compliance requirements led to a sanction of 7.6 million euros (the so-called financial correction) for Lithuania in 2019, and non-compliance with the requirements for voluntary coupled support for livestock resulted in a sanction of 5.5 million euros in 2020.

Lithuania seeks to reduce the amount of the financial correction to 2.2-4 million euros and 2.5 million euros, respectively.

The ministries of agriculture and justice intend to file an action for annulment of the EC decision by September 13.

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Lithuania to hold exercise in Sept to prepare for possible accident at Belarusian N-plant

VILNIUS, Sept 06, BNS –A multi-functional exercise will be held on September 21 to prepare for a possible accident at the Astravyets nuclear power plant in Belarus, Interior Minister Agne Bilotaite has said.

"This is our regular work and it will not be the first exercise process organized by the Interior Ministry in connection with the preparation for a possible accident at the Astravyets nuclear power plant," the minister told reporters ahead of the government’s meeting on Wednesday.

"Different elements are being checked and also on the 21st of this month we have scheduled such an exercise where we will check how our plans are working, because it is extremely important to not only have plans, but also to see how our institutions are working in practice. This will not be, as I say, a table-top exercise, but a real exercise, where the real actions of the institutions are checked," Bilotaite added.

In July, Belarus launched the so-called power start of the second unit of its Astravyets nuclear power plant located close to Lithuania’s border and increased its power.

The launch of the second reactor started at the end of last year and in April its power was increased from the minimum controlled power (1 percent) to 40 percent of its nominal power. It was officially announced in May that the power was being increased to 50 percent.

Minsk plans to start commercial operation of the power unit in October.

On July 13, the Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant said on its website that its second power unit was brought to 100 percent capacity for dynamic testing.

Earlier reports said that Belarus' first nuclear power plant in Astravyets would have two Russian VVER-type reactors with 1,200 MW capacity each.

Lithuania and international experts say that the Astravyets plant's construction was carried out in flagrant violation of technological and environmental standards. 

Vilnius, in particular, handed in a diplomatic note to Minsk following the launch of the second unit of the Astravyets nuclear power plant.

Lithuania calls on Belarus not to operate the second unit until the identified safety problems have been resolved, the necessary safety improvement measures have been implemented, and international nuclear safety and environmental standards and requirements are strictly observed.

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New CEO of Lithuanian Airports sees Madrid, Geneva destinations as strategically important

VILNIUS, Sept 06, BNS – Simonas Bartkus, new director general of Lietuvos Oro Uostai (Lithuanian Airports, LOU), the operator of Lithuania’s airports of Vilnius, Kaunas and Palanga, says that possible new destinations of Madrid and Geneva would be of strategic importance for Lithuania's accessibility.

"If we were talking about increased frequencies [of flights], I would see Munich, Paris and Brussels first. If we are talking about new destinations, I would see Madrid, Geneva. Their appearance [on the flights map] could have a strategic significance for Lithuania's accessibility", Bartkus told BNS in an interview.

He said that a risk-sharing model could be used to promote these destinations. Under such a model, Lithuanian Airports launched a search for a carrier between Vilnius and London City at the end of May and the winner is expected to be announced soon.

"There has been interest, we do not have a final decision yet, but it seems that everything is moving in a positive direction and we will be able to announce who will be going there in the near future," Bartkus said.

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Lithuanian body investigates if man who abducted daughter has Russian citizenship

VILNIUS, Sep 06, BNS – The Lithuanian Migration Department is carrying out an investigation into whether the man who kidnapped his less-than-a-year-old daughter and took her to Kaliningrad Region also holds Russian citizenship.

"The Migration Department has launched procedures to clarify the circumstances, and once it is clear whether or not he has (Russian) citizenship and on what grounds he has it, then further steps will be taken," Interior Minister Agne Bilotaite told reporters on Wednesday.

"As you now, (...) if you acquire citizenship of another country, you must renounce Lithuanian citizenship or lose it," she said. 

Russian officials say that Algirdas Svanys, the 37-year-old man who unlawfully took his daughter to the Russian exclave, holds both Russian and Lithuanian passports, which delayed the return of the girl to Lithuania.

It has also turned out that the father got an identity document issued for the girl without the knowledge of her mother, who has custody of the child.  

Bilotaite called it a loophole in Lithuanian legislation that a parent can obtain an identity document for a minor child without the knowledge of the other parent.

"We have one status when the parents are married and their divorce triggers certain processes, and we have a different situation when unmarried parents stop living together and go their separate ways. Legal relationships are regulated differently then," the minister said. 

"We are looking into this issue. All the institutions are looking at certain regulatory gaps and will come up with solutions for the future, so that such situations are carefully assessed and such things do not happen again," she added. 

The girl's mother on August 27 complained to the police that Svanys had taken their daughter and had not returned her at the agreed time.

The search revealed that the man and his daughter had crossed the Skirvyte River, which marks the state border between Lithuania and Russia. 

The child was returned to her mother on Tuesday when she went to Kaliningrad. Both of them came back to Lithuania the same day.

 

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Girl handed over to Lithuanian mother as Russian officials summoned father for questioning (media)

VILNIUS, Sept 06, BNS – A minor girl abducted and unlawfully taken to Russia’s exclave of Kaliningrad by her father was handed over to her mother and brought back to Lithuania after Russian officials summoned the father for questioning, Lithuanian Consul General in Kaliningrad Ausra Cerneviciene said.

"The actions of the lawyer hired here could have also been the reason for these decisions, because when the father was being questioned, the lawyer took the opportunity of favorable conditions – the father was asked to hand the girl over to her mother, as she is still being [breast]fed by her mother, and the lawyer took advantage of that moment to put her in his car and bring the mother and her child to a safe place – to the consulate," the diplomat told the 15min news portal.

According to her, Algirdas Svanys, who illegally took the daughter away, did not see the moment, and when he realized what happened, it was too late.

Cerneviciene said that Lithuanian diplomats were constantly taking care of the girl's mother and grandfather, who had arrived in Kaliningrad, and they were accommodated in the premises of the Lithuanian Consulate in Sovetsk, and were later escorted home with the child. They crossed the border between Lithuania and Russia at the Kybartai border crossing point.

On August 27, the girl's mother complained to the police that Svanys, 37, had taken their daughter and had not returned her at the agreed time.

The search revealed that the man and his daughter had crossed the Skirvyte River, which marks the state border between Lithuania and Russia.

The child was returned to her mother on Tuesday when she went to Kaliningrad. Both of them came back to Lithuania the same day.

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Lithuanian president calls to speed up Rail Baltica, Via Baltica, Via Carpatia projects

VILNIUS, Sept 06, BNS – Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda on Wednesday called to speed up the implementation of Rail Baltica, Via Baltica and Via Carpatia projects, saying that the reorientation of Europe's transport and energy links towards the North-South axis enhances regional security.

Addressing the leaders of the Three Seas Initiative (3SI) at a summit in Bucharest, the president said that the shift in the geopolitical situation across Europe caused by Russia’s war against Ukraine had further highlighted the importance of the Three Seas Initiative, which is based on the strategic North-South axis.

“We must use this potential and reorient continental transportation links, energy resources and routes of supply. We must build resilient infrastructure for both civil and military needs,” a press release from the presidential office quoted Nauseda as saying.

“I am happy to note that the NATO Vilnius Summit highlighted the issue of military mobility. To strengthen the eastern flank of the Alliance, we will have to accelerate crucial infrastructural projects, such as Rail Baltica, Via Baltica and Via Carpatia,” the president said.

Speaking about the energy sector, Nauseda underscored Ukraine’s importance for the economy and security of the 3SI region.

“Today Ukraine needs our help to satisfy its immediate energy needs. With the second winter of war approaching, I call on everyone to mobilize vital energy assistance. In the not-so-distant future, Ukraine will emerge as an important energy hub, which will contribute significantly to the climate neutrality and energy security of our region,” the Lithuanian president said.

Nauseda highlighted the most important steps that the Three Seas Initiative countries should take to help Ukraine: to support the reconstruction of its infrastructure, to speak out for the earliest possible start of Ukraine’s EU accession negotiations, to help rebuild Ukraine without waiting for the end of the war, and to ensure Ukrainian grain exports.

The Ninth Three Seas Initiative Summit will be hosted by Lithuania in 2024.

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Upcoming events in Lithuania for Thursday, September 7, 2023

VILNIUS, Sept 06, BNS – The following events are scheduled in Lithuania for Thursday, September 7, 2023:

PRESIDENT Gitanas Nauseda to attend the Three Seas Initiative (3SI) Summit and Business Forum in Bucharest, Romania.

SPEAKER OF THE SEIMAS Viktorija Cmilyte-Nielsen to give an interview to ELTA Kampas broadcast at 10 a.m.

PRIME MINISTER Ingrida Simonyte to participate in the Vilnius Conference panel discussion 'Prime Ministers in Times of Crisis' at 2 p.m.; to have a working dinner with European Commission Executive Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis at 7:30 p.m.

FOREIGN MINISTER Gabrielius Landsbergis to pay a working visit to Riga to attend an informal meeting of the Nordic-Baltic Eight (NB8) Foreign Ministers.

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LITHUANIA DAILY NEWS BULLETIN

IN THIS ISSUE:

1. Upcoming events in Lithuania for Tuesday, September 5, 2023
2. Lithuania records no illegal border crossings from Belarus
3. Lithuanian president, parlt board to discuss fall session's program
4. Minister off to Poland to share Lithuania's social policy experience 
5. Slovak chief of defense visiting Lithuania
6. Lithuania ready to fund infrastructure for German troops' families – president 
7. Lithuania reports 198 new COVID-19 cases, no deaths
8. Abducted girl's mother leaves for Russia to meet with her daughter – Lithuanian body 
9. Lithuanian president says he trusts two envoys despite complaints about their behavior
10. Issue of full border closure with Belarus losing relevance – Lithuanian president 
11. Corruption in Ukraine is hampering supply of Western weapons – Lithuanian president
12. Seimas speaker to convey Lithuania's view on Ukraine war during visit to Vatican
13. Lithuanian president: next year's budget deficit must not exceed 3 pct of GDP
14. More than half of businesses see corruption widespread in Lithuania – Eurobarometer
15. Lithuanian leader urges broader rights not only for LGBTQ but also for elderly, families
16. Lithuania: president, Seimas board remain at odds over restrictions to Belarusian citizens
17. Lithuanian health minister visiting Ukraine this week
18. Lithuanian president to attend Three Seas Initiative Summit in Bucharest
19. Lithuania unveils its 1st journalists' protection plan
20. IMF forecasts 1.4 pct GDP contraction for Lithuania in 2023, sees 2.9 pct growth in 2024 (expands)
21. Lithuanian, Slovak chiefs of defense have agreed to strengthen artillery capabilities
22. Upcoming events in Lithuania for Wednesday, September 6, 2023

Upcoming events in Lithuania for Tuesday, September 5, 2023

VILNIUS, Sept 05, BNS – The following events are scheduled in Lithuania for Tuesday, September 5, 2023:

PRESIDENT Gitanas Nauseda to meet with the Board of the Seimas at 10 a.m.

SPEAKER OF THE SEIMAS Viktorija Cmilyte-Nielsen to take part in a meeting between the Board of the Seimas and President Gitanas Nauseda at 10 a.m. to be followed by comments to the media at 11 a.m.

DEFENSE MINISTER Arvydas Anusauskas to meet with Italian Ambassador to Lithuania Diego Ungaro at 9:30 a.m.

ARMED FORCES

Slovak Chief of Defense, General Daniel Zmeko, to pay a visit to Lithuania with the visit agenda including an official welcoming ceremony at 8 a.m., visit to the General Romualdas Giedraitis Artillery Battalion at 2 p.m., presentation of the battalion’s PzH2000 self-propelled howitzers at 3:15 p.m., meeting with media representatives at 3:30 p.m. to be attended by Lithuania's Chief of Defense, General Valdemaras Rupsys.

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Lithuania records no illegal border crossings from Belarus

VILNIUS, Sep 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 Tuesday morning.

Latvia reported 38 attempts at illegal border crossings on Monday, and nine irregular migrants were not allowed into Poland on Sunday, according to the latest available information.

A total of 1,601 irregular migrants have been barred from entering Lithuania from Belarus at non-designated places so far this year. Some 11,200 irregular migrants were turned away in 2022.  

Lithuanian border guards have prevented around 20,900 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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Lithuanian president, parlt board to discuss fall session's program

VILNIUS, Sep 05, BNS – Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda and the Board of the Seimas are meeting on Tuesday to discuss the program of the parliament's fall session that is starting this week. 

The president meets with the parliament's leadership twice a year, before the spring and fall sessions, to discuss draft legislation.

Nauseda is tabling bills that call for imposing harsher punishment for crimes against the independence of the state and the constitutional order and for raising prosecutors' salaries.

He is also planning to draft amendments to offer tax relief for working parents and to allow people to withdraw some funds from their private pension savings, and others.

The government will propose a total of 82 draft legislative packages for the parliament's consideration.

Defense Minister Arvydas Anusauskas is expected to table in October a bill to change the structure of the Armed Forces by creating an infantry division, a new military unit. 

The Justice Ministry suggests scrapping the law's provision that information on LGBTQ marriages has a negative impact on minors, the Economy and Innovation Ministry aims to regulate new tobacco alternatives, such as nicotine pouches, and the Agriculture Ministry is expected to establish pricing principles for dairy products.

Parliamentary groups are also submitting their proposals for the session's program.

The fall session is scheduled to open on September 10 and close on December 23.

The Seimas convenes for two regular sessions, in spring and fall, every year. 

 

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Minister off to Poland to share Lithuania's social policy experience 

VILNIUS, Sep 05, BNS – Social Security and Labor Minister Monika Navickiene is to share Lithuania's social policy experience at the Economic Forum in Poland, her ministry has said.

Navickiene is attending the three-day 32nd Economic Forum, titled "New Values for the Old Continent – Europe on the Threshold of Change, in Karpacz. 

She is to take part in a discussion on "Improving Living Standards in Times of Crisis. Social Policy Challenges in 2023". It will focus on Russia's aggression against Ukraine, the coronavirus pandemic, and the economic consequences affecting many countries.

The minister will present Lithuania's experience and emphasize the importance of implementing responsible and well-directed social policies during crises, and will underscore that Ukraine's victory must remain the single most important objective for Europe as a whole, according to the press release. 
 

 

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Slovak chief of defense visiting Lithuania

VILNIUS, Sep 05, BNS – Slovak Chief of Defense General Daniel Zmeko is paying an official visit to Lithuania on Tuesday. 

Zmeko is scheduled to meet with Chief of Defense General Valdemaras Rupsys and other military officials during his first official visit to Lithuania. 

Zmeko and Rupsys are to discuss the security situation, the feasibility of NATO plans, bilateral cooperation, the development of Lithuania's military capabilities, and support for Ukraine, the Lithuanian Armed Forces have said.

The two chiefs of defense will later go to Rukla, in central Lithuania, to meet with the commanders of the Iron Wolf Mechanized Infantry Brigade and NATO's enhanced Forward Presence Battalion Battle Group.   

Rupsys met with Zmeko during his visit to Slovakia in April. The chiefs of defense then discussed the expansion of the spectrum of cooperation between the two countries' armed forces, the exchange of experience in the development of their training units, and possibilities for training Lithuanian troops at Slovakia's Lest center, which is suitable for both rifle and tank firing and maneuver training.

Barbara's Resolve 23-II, a multinational exercise hosted by Lithuania in late July, involved live firing training at targets in the Baltic Sea from Slovakia's Zuzana 2 155 mm self-propelled howitzers.

 

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Lithuania ready to fund infrastructure for German troops' families – president 

VILNIUS, Sep 05, BNS – Lithuania is ready to use its own funds to develop infrastructure for the families of German military personnel to be stationed in the country, President Gitanas Nauseda said on Monday evening. 

"We have made such a promise and it is our commitment as the host nation to create conditions that are maximally acceptable to the German side, because they, in this case, choose to allocate a large part of their combat power to Lithuania," he told a LRT TV program. 

Lithuania will spend "a significant amount of money" to host the German brigade, according to Nauseda.

"We will also allocate it to social infrastructure projects if needed," the president said.

"I do hope that this will allow us to strengthen our security and, most importantly, to create the so-called deterrence effect," he added. 

Germany earlier this year unveiled plans to permanently station a 4,000-strong brigade in Lithuania once the country puts in place the necessary infrastructure and if this is in line with other NATO plans.

If the rotations are lengthy, German troops will come to Lithuania with their families.

Lithuanian officials say they could have the infrastructure in place for the brigade by 2026.

Germany's Chief of Defense General Carsten Breuer said during his visit to Lithuania in late August that Berlin would likely start deploying the brigade early in 2024.

 

By Saulius Jakučionis

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Lithuania reports 198 new COVID-19 cases, no deaths

VILNIUS, Sep 05, BNS – Lithuania has recorded 198 new coronavirus infections and no deaths from COVID-19 over the past 24 hours, official statistics showed on Tuesday morning.

The 14-day primary infection rate has risen to 36.9 cases per 100,000 people, with the seven-day percentage of positive tests at 21 percent.

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

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

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

 

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Abducted girl's mother leaves for Russia to meet with her daughter – Lithuanian body 

VILNIUS, Sep 05, BNS – The mother of a nine-month-old girl unlawfully taken to Russia by her father has left for the neighboring country to meet with her daughter, the National Crisis Management Center (NCMC) has confirmed to BNS.  

"The mother is being given all the necessary assistance to meet her child," it said.

The center did not provide any further information about the woman's trip to Russia. 

Lithuania's law-enforcement bodies have launched a pre-trial investigation into the suspected child abduction after the girl's mother, who has custody of the child, complained to the Klaipeda district police on August 27 that the 37-year-old man had taken their daughter and failed to return her at the agreed time.

It is believed that the man and his daughter crossed the Skirvyte River, which marks the state border between Lithuania and Russia, by boat on the same day. 

Based on information available to Lithuania's authorities, the father and his daughter are currently on Russian territory.

Russia refuses to hand the child and the man over to Lithuania, saying that he holds both Russian and Lithuanian passports. 

 A Lithuanian court last Friday issued an in absentia arrest warrant for the man on suspicions of child abduction and illegal crossing of the state border.

The State Child Rights Protection and Adoption Service confirmed to BNS on Monday that "correspondence with the Russian authorities is ongoing" as part of efforts to return the girl to Lithuania. 

 

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Lithuanian president says he trusts two envoys despite complaints about their behavior

VILNIUS, Sept 05, BNS – Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda says he currently has confidence in Eitvydas Bajarunas, Lithuania's ambassador to the United Kingdom, and Deividas Matulionis, Lithuania's ambassador to NATO.

"The information I have at my disposal now allows me to trust them," he told an LRT TV broadcast on Monday evening.

The Delfi news portal reported last week that the foreign ministry had received complaints about the diplomats’ actions.

According to the sources of the portal, the ministry’s employees have complained about alleged mobbing by Bajarunas and possible abuse of office.

It has also been reported that Matulionis might have failed to comply with the mandate given by the state authorities and might have weakened Lithuania's negotiating position in the negotiations on the NATO summit documents.

Both diplomats have been asked to provide additional information and no official investigations have been opened thus far.

“Accusations of mobbing … should be investigated very precisely and carefully, it is a serious accusation, it should really be taken seriously. That is what is being done. But on the other hand, we have to do it delicately, because we are in a crystal shop. The world of diplomacy is a crystal shop, where a person's reputation can be tarnished in one second and cannot be rebuilt even in a few years," Nauseda said.

The president said that Matulionis was not "between two fires" when NATO was negotiating the final text of the summit declaration and the presidential office and the foreign ministry had different positions on how much pressure could be put on the allies to achieve a favorable outcome for Lithuania.

He stressed that "the negotiation process was not that simple" and promised to meet with the ambassador and hear his version of events.

"There were moments when choices had to be made, when some parts of the text of the conclusions were stapled to other parts. Believe me, the last thing I wanted, as the host of the NATO summit, was for everyone to get on planes and fly away and for no document to be adopted at all," Nauseda said.

Such a scenario, according to the Lithuanian leader, would have been "the biggest disaster".

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Issue of full border closure with Belarus losing relevance – Lithuanian president 

VILNIUS, Sep 05, BNS – The issue of a complete closure of Lithuania's border with Belarus is losing its relevance as the situation is stabilizing when it comes to the Wagner mercenary group's presence in the neighboring country, President Gitanas Nauseda said on Monday evening. 

"This is a matter of several weeks ago when it was quite obvious that the threats to relocate the Wagner group to Belarus had already started to be carried out and when information emerged that some of the Wagner group's fighters had appeared in the Gozha training area which is very close to the Lithuanian and Polish borders," he told a LRT TV program. 

At his meeting with Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki in Poland's northeastern Suwalki Region in early August, Nauseda called on the region's countries to set out the criteria and define threats that would warrant a full closure of their borders with Belarus.

The interior ministers of Lithuania, Latvia and Poland agreed on such criteria later in August.

Nauseda says that the security situation has not since worsened and that there are signs of disarray among Wagner troops following the death of Yevgeny Prigozhin, the group's leader. 

"Today, I have no concrete information suggesting that the Wagner group's members are close to our borders and are trying to destabilize the border situation," he told LRT TV on Monday evening. "The Polish side would hardly be able to add anything more."

Nauseda said that the actions of the countries in the region must be adequate to the situation.

"If the situation gets complicated, we act in one way. If the situation remains as it is now, or even stabilizes, we have to act differently. Nobody wants to close the borders again just for the fun of it," the president said. 

"I think we can say so," he added when asked if the issue of a complete border closure is losing its relevance.

Closer scrutiny of Belarusians in Lithuania

With around 60,000 Belarusian citizens currently residing in Lithuania, Nauseda said that immigrants from the neighboring country should be subject to closer scrutiny.

"I think we have to be much more interested in what role or what goals people from Belarus coming to Lithuania are driven by," the president said. 

"I'm not casting any shadow on Belarusian people here; I'm just saying that Belarus' regime has its own goals and is quite skilled at using people as instruments in its hands," he added.

Immigration from Belarus to Lithuania increased after Belarus' 2020 presidential election, which saw the regime declare Alexander Lukashenko, the authoritarian leader who has ruled the neighboring country since 1994, the winner. 

According to Nauseda, some of those arriving in Lithuania may not necessarily cooperate with Belarusian intelligence, but they could be trying to circumvent sanctions and continue doing business.

The president also said that immigrants' relatives who have stayed in Belarus may face threats and pressure, which could make Belarusians in Lithuania vulnerable.

"So we have to keep all this in mind and not bring the discussion down to a purely economic level where we need cheaper labor," he said. "We always have to think not only about the economy, but also about our national security."  

However, Nauseda emphasized that Lithuania must keep open the humanitarian corridor for those fleeing the Lukashenko regime.

The president is among those advocating for applying the same national restrictions to Russian and Belarusian citizens. 

Belarusian citizens could face additional difficulties in entering Lithuania and acquiring real estate in the country if they were made subject to the same restrictions as those imposed on Russians in the spring.

 

By Saulius Jakučionis

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Corruption in Ukraine is hampering supply of Western weapons – Lithuanian president

VILNIUS, Sept 05, BNS – Corruption in Ukraine has a significant impact on the Western countries' decisions to supply weapons to Kyiv, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda has said.

"This is an important reason. It is a very important reason. Since those countries that provide support to Ukraine are democracies, it means that they have to take into account the mood of their societies and the opinion of their voters," he told an LRT TV broadcast on Monday evening.

"Imagine that voters in one or another country see that there are very prominent corruption scandals in the country where the aid is directed. This is a huge blow to the reputation of that country," he added.

On Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky decided to replace the country’s Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov with Rustem Umerov, a Crimean Tatar who has been head of the State Property Fund since last year.

Even though Zelensky did not mention corruption in his statement, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry has recently been rocked by investigations into abuse and bribery in the acquisition of weapons.

"I fully understand the desire of President Zelensky to cleanse himself as much as possible from the taint of corruption that still exists and, at the same time, to cleanse the image of Ukraine in the eyes of the international community. Because it’s not only the current support but especially the support that will be provided in the future that really depends on it", Nauseda said.

He insisted that he did not believe that this was the reason why the supply of the American F-16 fighter jets was delayed.

"Sometimes things are also related to the fact that it is one thing to make a decision and another thing to implement that decision," the Lithuanian leader said.

The president criticized discussions on possible peace talks without Ukraine.

"We do not accept any model of negotiations, if Ukraine is not involved, if someone is negotiating with Russia behind Ukraine's back. Until Ukraine itself has made up its mind, and to my knowledge it has made up its mind to restore its territory as it was, no one can trade Ukrainian territories at Ukraine's expense," Nauseda stressed.

"This is our position, and we will oppose any other position that attempts to trample on Ukraine's sovereignty – this time possibly from the West – and to decide how much territory it should keep and how much territory should be given to the predator to calm it down for a while. We are all well aware that the predator will calm down until it feels satiated and will then move on,” he added.

The Lithuanian leader also said that Ukraine is trying to conduct its counteroffensive without heavy casualties, which may make the process seem too slow from the outside.

"It is yielding certain results, but the Russian side is ready for that counteroffensive. They want to make that counteroffensive on the Ukrainian side cost heavy human losses. The Ukrainian side wants to keep them as low as possible", the president said.

"That is why it may seem to us, perhaps when looking from the outside and on TV, that the offensive could be bolder and faster. But it would be at the expense of huge losses of both equipment and people, which is unacceptable to the President of Ukraine, and I fully understand him on this point," Nauseda added.

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Seimas speaker to convey Lithuania's view on Ukraine war during visit to Vatican

VILNIUS, Sept 05, BNS – Viktorija Cmilyte-Nielsen, Speaker of the Seimas of Lithuania, plans to pay a visit to Vatican this fall and intends to convey Lithuania's stance on Russia's invasion of Ukraine to the pope.

Last month, Kyiv accused Pope Francis of spreading imperial propaganda in a video message to young Catholic Russians.

The pontiff later said he was referring to Russia's rich cultural tradition when he spoke of a "great Russia" in a speech last month that sparked outrage in Ukraine.

“An official trip to the Vatican was planned some time ago, and I think that if it were to happen, I would certainly take the opportunity to express Lithuania's views on the war in Ukraine. First of all, on Russian aggression," Cmilyte-Nielsen told reporters on Tuesday.

"I think that in diplomacy, in political diplomacy, there is never a bad time and there is never too much effort to convey that message," she added.

Cmilyte-Nielsen stressed that Lithuania's stance on the war unleashed by Russia "rings wide, rings loud" and that Lithuania is Kyiv's ambassador in places where Kyiv cannot participate.

In a video message to young Catholic Russians on August 25, the 86-year-old pontiff said they should remember they were "children of great Russia, of great saints, of kings, of Peter the Great, of Catherine II, of a Russian people of great culture and great humanity".

Ukrainian foreign ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko described the unscripted remarks as reminiscent of "imperialist propaganda" and "very unfortunate".

Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni later issued a statement saying the pontiff's "off the cuff" remarks were intended to "encourage young people to preserve and promote what is positive in Russia's great cultural and spiritual heritage".

According to him, the comments were "certainly not (intended) to glorify imperial logic and government personalities".

The Kremlin, for its part, welcomed the pope's remarks.

Pope Francis regularly calls for peace in Ukraine, though in the early months after Russia's February 2022 invasion he drew criticism for not naming Moscow as the aggressor.

He appointed a top cardinal earlier this year to try to broker peace, who has since visited both Moscow and Kyiv.

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Lithuanian president: next year's budget deficit must not exceed 3 pct of GDP

VILNIUS, Sept 05, BNS – Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda says that next year's budget must be drafted taking into account the European rules of fiscal discipline, which means that the budget deficit must not exceed 3 percent of gross domestic product (GDP).

"Fiscal discipline must be maintained. We therefore advocate a balanced and rational assessment of individual [spending] proposals. I think it can be done, but the priorities need to be chosen very precisely. If we set too many priorities, we can automatically conclude that there is no money for all of them," he said on Tuesday after a meeting with Seimas Speaker Viktorija Cmilyte-Nielsen.

Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte said earlier this week that next year's budget should not contain any unforeseen expenditure, but it would be a challenge for the government to ensure its compliance with the European fiscal discipline rules.

The EU debt and deficit rules, called the Stability and Growth Pact that stipulates inter alia that member states' budget deficit should not exceed 3 percent of GDP, are due to come back into effect in the European Union (EU) next year.

These rules have been on ice since 2020, first due to the blow dealt to the Community’s economy by the COVID-19 pandemic, and this year, due to Russia’s war in Ukraine.

By Sniegė Balčiūnaitė

Editor: Roma Pakėnienė

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More than half of businesses see corruption widespread in Lithuania – Eurobarometer

VILNIUS, Sept 05, BNS – More than half, or 62 percent, of business representatives in Lithuania believe that the problem of corruption is widespread in the country but this figure has decreased significantly over the last ten years as 89 percent of respondents said so in 2013 and 58 percent in 2022, according to the latest Eurobarometer survey.

Moreover, corruption (17 pct) ranked last among the nine most mentioned problems for a company when doing business in Lithuania and was below, for instance, patronage and nepotism, which were mentioned as a problem by 24 percent of respondents and ranked 6th and 7th, respectively, the Special Investigation Service (SIS) said in a press release on Tuesday.

Some 6 percent of business representatives have admitted this year that their company was previously asked or expected to give a gift, favor or extra money for permits, such as building permits, business permits, etc., or public services, up from 5 percent in 2022 but down from 8 percent in 2013.

Some 87 percent of respondents in Lithuania have said this year that too close links between business and politics lead to corruption, up from 81 percent in 2013. Some 37 percent have agreed that the only way to succeed in business is to have political connections, down from 60 percent a decade ago.

For this Eurobarometer, a representative sample of businesses, employing one or more persons in six key sectors was interviewed in March–April 2023. Interviews took place via telephone with someone with decision-making responsibilities in the company, someone leading the commercial activities, or a legal officer. In total, 12 875 interviews were conducted, including 507 in Lithuania.

The survey was first conducted in 2013 and is repeated every few years.

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Lithuanian leader urges broader rights not only for LGBTQ but also for elderly, families

VILNIUS, Sep 05, BNS – Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda on Tuesday called for broader rights not only for sexual minorities, but also for the elderly and families with children.

"I understand human rights broadly," Nauseda said after meeting with Viktorija Cmilyte-Nielsen, speaker of the parliament, and other members of the Board of the Seimas to discuss the key agenda items for the parliament's fall session that is starting this week. 

"Human rights encompass (the rights of) our sexual minorities as well as the desire to have easier access to narcotic substances," the president said. "But in my eyes, human rights are equally about the financial situation of our seniors and the situation of families, especially those with children, and of people with disabilities."

"When we talk about human rights, let's not forget that the majority of people in Lithuania today have human rights that we could do more to guarantee to a wider and deeper extent," he added.

A civil union bill aimed at legally regulating relations between same-sex partners in Lithuania passed its second reading in the parliament by a narrow margin in May. It will still have to pass a third and final vote to be adopted. 

Currently, Lithuanian laws do not recognize either opposite-sex or same-sex civil partnerships. Several previous attempts to do so fell through at an early stage of the parliamentary process. 

So far, Nauseda has not yet said whether or not he would sign the bill into law or veto it. He has promised to inform the public of his position after the final vote.

The president said on Tuesday that efforts to regulate same-sex relationships are "a sign of a civilized state". 

Nauseda noted that this is not the only draft law that is currently under consideration by the parliament, referring to an alternative bill on "close relationship" tabled by a group of MPs.

"I believe this issue can be addressed in various ways. We know that there are different opinions in society and that the Church does not directly oppose the regulation of relationships. However, I reiterate: it is important for me to preserve the content and spirit of Article 38 of the Lithuanian Constitution," the president said. 

"The Constitution is the most important legal document of the state and its content cannot be washed out through the back door," he added.

Article 38 reads that "the family shall be the basis of society and the State", that "family, motherhood, fatherhood, and childhood shall be under the protection and care of the State" and that "marriage shall be concluded upon the free mutual consent of man and woman". 

For her part, Cmilyte-Nielsen said that Nauseda's support for "both same-sex and different-sex partnerships (...) is certainly important".

"I think we have a good chance, by joining forces not only in the Seimas, but also in other branches of government, to take the final step that would do honor to the Seimas of the current term and resolve the long-standing debt to human rights in Lithuania," she said after the meeting.

 

By Augustas Stankevičius

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Lithuania: president, Seimas board remain at odds over restrictions to Belarusian citizens

VILNIUS, Sept 05, BNS – The Board of the Seimas of Lithuania and President Gitanas Nauseda said after a meeting on Tuesday that they continue to take different positions on putting restrictions for Belarusian citizens on a par with the existing ones for Russians.

The president maintains that the restrictions should be identical, while the speaker of the Seimas calls for human rights to be kept in mind.

"Yes, there are differences of opinion. My opinion is that I agree that the mood of the Belarusian people is different from that of the Russian people, that they are perhaps less intoxicated by the mass propaganda that has been carried out in Russia, that they are closer to us geopolitically, traditionally, historically," Nauseda told reporters on Tuesday after a meeting with the board of the parliament.

"But let's understand one thing – Alexander Lukashenko is very skilled at using his people as objects, as tools. We have to remember the guy who was the victim of the plane that was turned back to Minsk. It was really very sad to see this whole story and the genesis of this story," he added, referring to the detention of Belarusian activist Raman Pratasevich.

Pratasevich was detained by the Minsk regime in 2021 after the Ryanair plane flying from Greece to Lithuania was forced to divert and land in Minsk following false reports from Belarus officials that there was a threat of an explosion. However, no explosives were later found on that plane.

The blogger was then accused by Belarusian law enforcement authorities of helping to coordinate mass protests against the authoritarian Lukashenko regime and of a conspiracy to seize power.

Following his arrest, Belarusian state media published videos of Pratasevich’s "confession".

In May, he was sentenced to eight years in prison but was pardoned by Lukashenko the same month.

According to the Lithuanian president, this story "only shows that a dictator breaks a man, a dictator uses him for his own black purposes, and he can do the same with other people".

He added that he believes that other measures can be considered, but it is important to realize that the threat from Belarus is very real.

At the same time, Seimas Speaker Viktorija Cmilyte-Nielsen stressed that it was important to keep human rights in mind when discussing security issues.

"Perhaps there is a slight difference of opinion on the issue of equal treatment of Russian and Belarusian citizens [as regards restrictions], and we will probably have a discussion in the Seimas here if there is such an initiative," the parliamentary speaker said.

Cmilyte-Nielsen takes the position that the restrictions on Russian and Belarusian citizens should remain different.

Radvile Morkunaite-Mikuleniene, leader of the political group of the conservative Homeland Union-Lithuanian Christian Democrats (HU-LCD), said that the group was divided on the issue.

"I am of the opinion that there are indeed differences between Russian and Belarusian societies, and especially in the light of the huge demonstrations three years ago and the sanctions that the Belarusian regime subsequently imposed on Belarusian citizens, this is certainly not the same," she said.

Morkunaite-Mikuleniene argued that as long as there was no evidence that the security situation was deteriorating, there should be no major changes in this regard.

The Law on Restrictive Measures in Response to Military Aggression against Ukraine has imposed temporary restrictions for Russians and Belarusians to obtain Lithuanian visas and e-resident status, and bans them from bringing Ukrainian hryvnias into Lithuania. The measures are in place from May 2 this year to May 3, 2024. 

However, Russian citizens face additional restrictions on entry to Lithuania and acquisition of real estate in the country. Lithuania also temporarily refuses to accept their residence permit applications 

The parliament finally adopted the law in late April, overriding a veto from the president, who proposed to impose the same restrictions on Russian and Belarusian citizens.

Lithuanian politicians have returned to discussing the issue of the same restrictions for Russians and Belarusians after Minsk allowed the Wagner mercenary group to relocate to Belarus in the wake of its failed mutiny in Russia.

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Lithuanian health minister visiting Ukraine this week

VILNIUS, Sep 05, BNS – Lithuanian Health Minister Arunas Dulkys is visiting Ukraine this week.

"The minister is on a work trip to Ukraine this week," Tomas Bagdonas, his spokesman, told BNS on Tuesday, adding that "no further information is being made public for security reasons".

Education, Science and Sport Minister Gintautas Jakstas is standing in for Dulkys currently and Social Security and Labor Minister Monika Navickiene will do so from Thursday.  

 

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Lithuanian president to attend Three Seas Initiative Summit in Bucharest

VILNIUS, Sept 05, BNS – Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda will participate in the Three Seas Initiative (3SI) Summit and Business Forum in Bucharest, Romania, on September 6-7. 

The main topic of this year’s summit is further support for Ukraine and assistance in rebuilding its war-ravaged infrastructure, the presidential office said in a press release on Tuesday.

The continued development of infrastructure and connectivity on the EU’s north-south axis will also be discussed.

Yet another focus will be placed on strategic infrastructure projects in the region, cooperation in the fields of energy, the economy and digitization, as well as on scaling up the initiative.

The Three Seas Initiative brings together twelve EU countries located between the Baltic, Black and Adriatic Seas: Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia. 3SI strategic partners are the United States, Germany and the European Commission.

The initiative aims to promote accelerated development and convergence in the region by improving connectivity between the participating countries in transport, energy and digitization along the north-south axis, strengthening cohesion in the European Union and enriching transatlantic links between the European Union and the United States.

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Lithuania unveils its 1st journalists' protection plan

VILNIUS, Sep 05, BNS – Lithuania's authorities have for the first time worked out and approved a plan for the protection of journalists. 

The inter-institutional plan for 2023-2025 was greenlit by Culture Minister Simonas Kairys this week. 

"This is the first attempt to systematize the issues and to record, research and simultaneously organize the training process, which, as it turns out during discussions with the sector, is very important," the minister told BNS.

"It appears that we all know everything, but sometimes unconventional situations arise, and journalists simply do not know how to react and fail to identify some threats, which then become even bigger," he added.

The plan provides for organizing training for prosecutors and police officers on investigating criminal offences committed against journalists, and for judges on the protection of journalists' rights and guarantees of their activities and of the right to freedom of information, as well as on the unjustified prosecution of journalists for criticism, and the problems of clarifying the concept of public and private persons.

The document says that journalists, for their part, will receive training on how to behave at various events, and will be briefed before each high-risk event.

"Journalists will have access to consultations and training sessions with the police and prosecutors on various protests and demonstrations (so as to know) what to look out for, how threats to physical safety may arise, what provocations can be expected, and other things," Kairys said.  

"The police, for their part, are willing to provide such advice," he said. 

The minister added that attention will also be paid to journalists' protection on the Internet.

The plan calls for organizing meetings between law-enforcement bodies and journalists and their associations on threats against journalists, and on the prevention of attacks and ways to counter them. 

The authorities also plan to collect data on attacks against journalists, and compile and publish this information.

"The main thing is that there should be a much more serious approach and analysis of data on various attacks on journalists, because they are not systematically analyzed in any way, leading to a lack of formulated recommendations," Kairys said.

"Collecting and systematizing data to further highlight the issue and draw more attention to it is one of the key things," he added. 

The plan singles out investigative and educational journalism, promising to give them access to scholarships from the Media Support Fund.

Kairys expects that the plan "will draw the attention of various other institutions to journalists and their protection".  

The authorities responsible for implementing the action plan include the police, prosecutors, the National Crisis Management Centre, the National Courts Administration, the Ministries of Culture, Social Security and Labor, and Foreign Affairs, and others. 

 

By Jūratė Skėrytė

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IMF forecasts 1.4 pct GDP contraction for Lithuania in 2023, sees 2.9 pct growth in 2024 (expands)

VILNIUS, Sep 05, BNS – The International Monetary Fund (IMF) forecasts that Lithuania's economy will contract by 1.4 percent this year before growing by 2.9 percent next year, the Bank of Lithuania said on Tuesday. 

According to IMF forecasts, the country’s GDP should grow by 2.7 percent in 2025, 2.5 percent in 2026, 2.2 percent in 2027, and 2.1 percent in 2028.

Borja Gracia, the IMF mission chief for Lithuania, predicted in June that the country’s economy would contract by 1.4 percent on average this year, while next year, GDP growth should reach the pace of 2.5-3 percent.

The IMF now expects Lithuania's annual inflation to decelerate to 4.1 percent by the end of this year, from 6.4 percent in August, and ease further to 3 percent in late 2024. The Fund sees the annual inflation rate reaching 2.9 percent in late 2025 and averaging 2.5 percent in 2026-2028. 

As estimated by the IMF, the unemployment rate in Lithuania should reach 7.8 percent this year before going down to 6.7 percent in 2024, easing further to 6.2 percent in 2025, and reaching 6 percent in 2026-2028.

According to Gediminas Simkus, Chairman of the Board of the Bank of Lithuania, the resilience of Lithuania’s economy is driven by a robust labor market, relatively low private sector indebtedness and recovering real income of households, as well as significant corporate and bank reserves.

“However, we do not have the luxury of time: all institutions need to focus on measures ensuring that Lithuania’s economic growth is sustained. We see risks to economic growth and financial stability in the context of persistent uncertainty, which is mostly linked to Russia’s war against Ukraine,” a press release from the central bank quoted him as saying.

According to the IMF, the biggest risk to Lithuania’s economy is the scenario where inflation in the country remains significantly higher than the euro area average (at 5.3 pct in August) over a longer period of time, as this would reduce both domestic and foreign demand due to negative effects on competitiveness. 

Meanwhile, the Bank of Lithuania noted that "the IMF forecast was prepared before the very positive GDP and labor market data for the second quarter of 2023 were published". 

As pointed out by the IMF, Lithuania’s banking sector is particularly resilient due to high liquidity and capital buffers.

The Fund noted, however, that growing loan interest rates as a result of rising key interest rates pose significant risks to the financial sector. It also mentioned that the bank solidarity contribution must be a temporary measure.

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Lithuanian, Slovak chiefs of defense have agreed to strengthen artillery capabilities

VILNIUS, Sept 05, BNS – Lithuanian Chief of Defense General Valdemaras Rupsys and his Slovak counterpart, General Daniel Zmeko, on Tuesday agreed to strengthen artillery capabilities through training of personnel, exchange of experience and joint exercises in both countries.

The two generals discussed the security situation, the feasibility of NATO plans, bilateral cooperation, the development of Lithuania's military capabilities, support for Ukraine, as well as the exchange of lessons learned from the war in Ukraine, the Lithuanian Armed Forces said in a press release.

During their first bilateral meeting that took place in Slovakia in April, the two chiefs of defense discussed the expansion of the spectrum of cooperation between the two countries' armed forces, the exchange of experience in the development of their training units, and possibilities for training Lithuanian troops at Slovakia's Lest center, which is suitable for both rifle and tank firing and maneuver training.

In late July, Lithuania hosted Barbara's Resolve 23-II, a multinational exercise that involved live firing training at targets in the Baltic Sea from Slovakia's Zuzana 2 155-mm self-propelled howitzers, 105-mm M50 howitzers, and M109A6 Paladin artillery systems of the United States.

The aim of the multinational exercise was to enhance interoperability of different artillery systems, test operation in different conditions, and provide training and experience exchange opportunities with the Allies.

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Upcoming events in Lithuania for Wednesday, September 6, 2023

VILNIUS, Sept 05, BNS – The following events are scheduled in Lithuania for Wednesday, September 6, 2023:

PRESIDENT Gitanas Nauseda to attend the Three Seas Initiative (3SI) Summit and Business Forum in Bucharest, Romania.

SPEAKER OF THE SEIMAS Viktorija Cmilyte-Nielsen to appear on Pozicija (Position) on the Ziniu Radijas news radio at 8:05 a.m.; to make comments to the M-1 radio at 11:30 a.m.

PRIME MINISTER Ingrida Simonyte to chair the Cabinet's regular meeting and sitting at 1 p.m.

FOREIGN MINISTER Gabrielius Landsbergis to pay a working visit to Riga to attend an informal meeting of the Nordic-Baltic Eight (NB8) Foreign Ministers.

OTHER EVENTS

Events to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the liquidation of the Vilna ghetto to take place in Vilnius, including the opening of a dedicated exhibition at 6:30 p.m. and a concert of authentic ghetto songs at 7 p.m.

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