Last week, Seimas Speaker said people could contribute to defence funding; Foreign Ministry said it will extend restrictions for Russians, Belarusians
Ukraine willing to move part of drone production to Lithuania
Ukraine is willing to move part of its drone production to Lithuania, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said on Thursday, the 25th of January, adding that it would be unwise and irresponsible not to learn the lessons of the Ukrainian war. The method of war is changing, he said, and lessons should be learned from the Ukrainians who have been fighting the Russian invasion for almost two years. Some war observers say drones are a cheaper and more difficult to counter alternative to conventional weapons. Others argue that heavy weapons will continue to better achieve operational and strategic objectives in conflicts, while drones can be used for support.
China suspends visa issuance to Lithuanian citizens
The Chinese mission has suspended the issuance of visas to Lithuanian citizens as of Wednesday, Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis confirmed on Thursday, the 25th of January. Landsbergis said he was unaware of the reasons for and the duration of the suspension. The Chinese mission had last temporarily suspended the issuance of visas to Lithuanian citizens in late November 2021. Beijing then said the move was due to technical reasons, but it came after China had officially downgraded diplomatic ties with Lithuania to the level of chargé d’affaires in response to the opening of the Taiwanese representative office in Vilnius.
MG Grupė contests verdict in political corruption case
The Supreme Court of Lithuania said on Thursday, the 25th of January, that it has received a cassation appeal from MG Grupė (former MG Baltic) in a high-profile political corruption case centering around the business group. The appeal seeks to overturn the part of the Court of Appeal’s verdict of the 22nd of November, 2023 that found the group guilty of bribery and influence peddling. MG Grupė, one of Lithuania’s biggest manufacturing, trading, real estate and media groups, has already paid a fine of 1.1 million euros imposed by the Court of Appeal. According to the court, the criminal acts caused significant damage to the Lithuanian state and its political system.
Speaker says people could contribute to defence funding
Lithuania could borrow from members of the public to increase defence funding, Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen, speaker of the parliament, said on Thursday, the 25th of January, adding that the state should avoid placing the burden on one group of people if it opts to raise taxes for the purpose. “One thing mentioned by most political parties is the possibility of borrowing, including from Lithuanian people, offering even a lower interest rate and thus calling for a solidarity contribution to the defence of Lithuania,” Čmilytė-Nielsen told LRT Radio. “In this, I also see a certain element of trust in one’s own country, which is very important,” she added. She speaker believes that there could be more than one source of funding. And if taxes were to be raised, they should not fall on one group of the population. The debate on additional sources of defence funding has heated up following criticism from the president’s office that the 2024 defence budget fails to earmark funds for the plan, approved by the State Defence Council, to create a Lithuanian Land Force division.
Foreign Ministry proposes extending restrictions for Russians, Belarusians
Lithuania’s Foreign Ministry proposed on Wednesday, the 24th of January, extending the exiting restrictions on Russian and Belarusian citizens, in place until May, for another year. The restrictions on Belarusian nationals would be tightened but not put completely on par with those on Russian nationals. In cases where Belarusian nationals arrive on a Schengen visa, an additional risk assessment would be carried out to assess the threat their arrival poses to public order, internal security, public health or international relations. Border guards would also decide on the further screening of the Belarusian national at the second line of control at the checkpoints, while Russian nationals are already subject to this individual additional in-depth risk screening. Visa issuance for both Russians and Belarusians is already restricted right now, but Russians are subject to additional restrictions on their ability to enter Lithuania, purchase real estate, and their applications for residence permits in Lithuania are temporarily rejected. The Foreign Ministry suggests extending these restrictions until the 2nd of May, 2025.
Ex-Yedinstvo leader challenges decision to expel him from country
Valery Ivanov, a 76-year-old Russian citizen who led the pro-Soviet organization Yedinstvo, has appealed against the decision to expel him from Lithuania. He said on Wednesday, the 24th of January, that his lawyer has filed an appeal. The Migration Department said last fall that it had revoked Ivanov’s permanent residence permit in Lithuania. The body said the decision was based on the results of its investigation and analysis of publicly available information, and on additional information from the State Security Department, the Police Department and the State Border Guard Service. According to the Migration Department, even if the decision to revoke Ivanov’s permit becomes final before the end of the criminal proceedings, he will be obliged to stay in Lithuania while the trial is ongoing. However, once the trial is over and the decision has become final, he will have to leave Lithuania.
Lithuania bans off-duty travel by troops, policemen to Russia, Belarus, China
The Lithuanian government banned on Wednesday, the 24th of January, professional military service members, and police, border guards and other internal service system officers from travelling off-duty to Russia, Belarus and China. The Defence Ministry says the list of the countries is based on an assessment of risks and threats to national security. “The National Security Strategy states that the Russian Federation, the Republic of Belarus and the People’s Republic of China pose threats to the security of Lithuania and its citizens, including espionage against Lithuania by the countries’ intelligence and security services,” the draft resolution reads. The ministry says that these countries collect information on Lithuanian citizens who have the right to access classified information, look for their vulnerabilities and seek to exploit them for recruitment purposes in their territory or in third countries.
Environmentalists stage counter-protest against farmers’ rally
Several dozen environmentalists staged a counter-protest in Vilnius on Tuesday, the 23rd of January, against a farmers’ rally taking place outside the government office. They were calling on the government not to make concession during talks with farmers at the expense of nature. The activists are holding banners with information about the extinction of bird species, climate change data and why it is necessary to preserve endangered grasslands.
President says he sees political will to fix mistakes behind farmers’ protest
President Gitanas Nausėda said on Monday, the 22nd of January, he sees political will from the government to tackle the mistakes that sparked farmers’ protest in Vilnius. “We have to admit that certain mistakes, distortions or oversteps, if they can be described that way, have been made,” he told the public broadcaster LRT. The president’s comment came after protesting farmers gathered in the center of Vilnius with around 1 500 tractors and other farm vehicles. Farmers are protesting against the government’s agricultural policies and demanding that it reverse a hike in the excise duty on liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) in effect since the 1st of January and bring back a reduced excise tax rate on diesel fuel for their trucks. They are raising other issues, including the restoration of permanent grasslands, the expansion of protected areas, and the dairy crisis.
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Week in Lithuania | China stops issuing visas to Lithuanians, MG Grupė appeals verdict in political corruption case
