Lithuanian and German officials have signed an agreement on the rights of German troops, civilian personnel, and their families in Lithuania, BNS reports. The agreement was signed by the Lithuanian and German defence ministers, Laurynas Kasciunas and Boris Pistorius, as well as deputy foreign ministers Jonas Survila and Tobias Lindner, in Berlin. The agreement provides…
The chairman of Lithuania’s ruling Homeland Union (TS-LKD), Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis, has called for talks with the opposition Social Democratic Party of Lithuania (LSDP) over fears about the surge in support for the new far-right party, Dawn of Nemunas, ELTA reports. Speaking in an interview with Ziniu Radijas, Landsbergis warned that the Dawn of…
Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis criticised other EU member states for continuing to do business with China, BNS reported. Speaking after a meeting with US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell in Vilnius, Landsbergis noted that Lithuania was an example that it was “possible to survive without Russian gas and Chinese contracts.” He warned Lithuania’s…
Estonia’s Foreign Ministry had “no role whatsoever” in organising or initiating a recent visit by six Estonian MPs to China, the ministry’s director of media relations, Liisa Toots, stated, ERR reports. She said that the visit was organised by the Chinese embassy in Estonia in cooperation with the Chinese People’s Institute of Foreign Affairs, which…
A Russian military drone crashed in Latvia’s Rezekne municipality on 7 September 2024, the Ministry of Defence announced, LETA reports. The unmanned aerial vehicle flew from neighbouring Belarus. The Latvian National Armed Forces (NBS) detected the arrival of the drone into Latvian airspace, monitored its movement, and determined the location of its fall. Initial information…
The foreign ministers of Estonia and Finland, Margus Tsahkna and Elina Valtonen, called for allowing Ukraine to attack military targets inside Russia using Western weapons, YLE reports. They were speaking at a joint press conference in Helsinki. The two ministers discussed support for Ukraine, security in the Baltic Sea region, other foreign and security policy issues,…
Long-time Estonian MP, former prime minister Siim Kallas will step down from the parliament, the Riigikogu, ERR reports. Timo Suslov, secretary general of the Estonian Reform Party, said that Kallas, 75, was stepping down due to health reasons. His seat in the Riigikogu will now be taken up by Reform’s Jüri Jaanson. Kallas said that…
Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis, chairman of the ruling Homeland Union (TS-LKD), called on President Gitanas Nauseda to set up a “cordon sanitaire” to prevent radical political forces from coming to power after the parliamentary elections in October 2024, BNS reports. Speaking in an interview with Ziniu Radijas, Landsbergis warned that pandering to radical political…
The victory of Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in regional elections was part of a European trend, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said, BNS reports. He attributed AfD’s success to the coronavirus pandemic, the war in Ukraine, inflation, Russian disinformation, and other factors, and “maybe sometimes a lack of strategic leadership.” Landsbergis noted…