Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has concluded a two-day official visit to the three Baltic States. At a press conference with Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda, Zelensky said that his visit underscored the “shared trust” between nations in Russia’s neighbourhood, BNS reported. Speaking to a large crowd outside the Presidential Palace in Vilnius, Zelensky said that Russia…
A continuing confrontation between Lithuania’s President Gitanas Nauseda and the government has delayed the appointment of a new ambassador to neighbouring Poland, LRT reports. The post has been vacant since September 2023, with Nauseda rejecting two candidates suggested by the government. The Office of the President has proposed changing the procedure for appointing ambassadors by…
Housing prices in the Baltic States rose the fastest in Lithuania in the third quarter of 2023, according to Eurostat data, BNS reports. Housing prices rose by 8.7% over a year in Lithuania, 3.8% in Estonia, and 3.2% in Latvia. Compared to the second quarter of 2023, housing prices rose by 2.4% in Lithuania, but…
Lithuania’s Supreme Administrative Court has upheld a lower court decision not to grant asylum to Belarusian activist Volha Karach, BNS reports. Earlier, the Lithuanian Migration Department (LMD) rejected Karach’s asylum application on national security grounds, citing a report from the State Security Department (VSD), which pointed to the applicant’s links to Russian intelligence. Nevertheless, LMD…
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,…
Lithuania’s state-owned airport operator, Lietuvos Oro Uostai (Lithuanian Airports, LTOU), plans to invest another EUR 250mn in 2025-2052, according to a study drawn up by Dutch aviation consultancy NACO, BNS reports. Under the plan, LTOU would invest around EUR 180mn in developing Vilnius International Airport, EUR 50mn in Kaunas Airport, and EUR 20mn in Palanga…
Poland’s Bank Polska Kasa Opieki (Bank Pekao) plans to open a branch in Lithuania, according to Gediminas Simkus, head of the Bank of Lithuania, BNS reports. Speaking in an interview with 15min, Simkus said that Bank Pekao’s representatives visited Lithuania in December 2023. He was optimistic about the bank setting up operations in Lithuania. Sources…
Lithuania is exploring the possibility of acquiring a stake in Latvia’s national air carrier, Air Baltic Corporation (airBaltic), according to Transport Minister Marius Skuodis, BNS reports. Skuodis has discussed the issue with his Latvian counterpart, Kaspars Briskens. Skuodis suggested that some airBaltic aircraft could be based in Lithuania and that airBaltic could become a joint…
The new Lithuanian Exarchate of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople of the Eastern Orthodox Church plans to build its own church, possibly in Vilnius, BNS reports. Justinus Kiviloo, head of the exarchate, stated that he was “categorically against” taking over church buildings from the Russian Orthodox Church. He said that the funds to build the…