Lithuania: Not enough votes for tighter restrictions on Belarusians

There are not enough votes at the moment in the Lithuanian parliament, the Seimas, to tighten restrictions on Belarusian citizens, Laurynas Kasciunas, chairman of the parliament’s national security and defence committee, stated, BNS reports. Under existing legislation, Belarusians face fewer limitations than Russian citizens. President Gitanas Nauseda has demanded equal restrictions on Belarusians and Russians, but the Seimas overturned his veto on the issue. Compromise amendments would introduce same restrictions on residence permits for Belarusians as for Russians, while at the same time facilitating visa applications for Belarusian and Russian democrats on humanitarian grounds. Meanwhile, most Lithuanians would support stricter rules on entry for Belarusians, according to a Baltijos Tyrimai poll, LRT reported. Almost 61% of respondents supported and 26% opposed restricting the entry of Belarusian citizens, while 14% did not respond.