Lithuania should not censor everything related to Russian culture, the country’s incoming culture minister, Sarunas Birutis, stated, LRT reports. Speaking in an interview with ELTA, Birutis insisted that the “Russian nation was not the same as the Kremlin.” He pointed out that Russians had been neighbours to Lithuanians “for millennia” and would continue to be so in the future. “Stigmatising” Russian culture alienates Lithuania’s own Russian-speaking citizens, who are “probably loyal to Lithuania” and not to blame for the Russian government’s actions, Birutis said. Moreover, he argued against a blanket ban on all Russian artists, saying that “not all performers are the same.” Birutis represents the Social Democratic Party of Lithuania (LSDP). He is former chairman of the Russia-friendly Labour Party.
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