The draft programme of Lithuania’s incoming government calls China a “growing challenge” for foreign and security policy, BNS reports. The programme sees China’s strategic partnership with Russia and growing influence in Belarus as a threat. The new coalition pledges to work for a united approach towards China with Lithuania’s European and transatlantic partners. Also, the…
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda has approved the country’s new cabinet of ministers, BNS reports. He described the incoming centre-left government as more capable than the outgoing centre-right government of Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte. The Lithuanian Social Democratic Party (LSDP) will hold the post of prime minister and will have nine ministers in the new government,…
Latvian ministers informally discussed the possibility of cancelling the Rail Baltica railway project but decided against such a move, Prime Minister Evika Silina revealed, LETA reports. Speaking in an interview with TV3, Silina said that the government concluded that abandoning the project would result in a significant loss of invested resources. Moreover, the project will…
The Foreign Ministry of Georgia summoned the Estonian and Lithuanian ambassadors and the Latvian chargé d’affaires to express its concern over plans to impose sanctions on senior Georgian government officials, Agenda.ge reports. The ministry said that the plans amounted to “interference in Georgia’s internal affairs.” Earlier, the Baltic foreign ministers announced sanctions against several Georgian…
The Latvian government has approved new regulations under which transport and related infrastructure, signs, and information must be in Latvian and, if needed, in another official EU language, LSM reports. The new rules will thus preclude such signs in Russian. Justice Minister Inese Libina-Egnere said that the new rules would create a more attractive environment…
Georgia’s new parliament is not entirely legitimate, Asta Skaisgiryte, chief foreign policy adviser to Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda, stated, LRT reports. If the parliament elects a new president, then the legitimacy of the president would be under question as well, she noted. Speaking in an interview with LNK, Skaisgiryte announced that Lithuania would offer refuge to…
The Lithuanian parliament, the Seimas, has voted to strip MP Remigijus Zemaitaitis, leader of the far-right Dawn of Nemunas party, of his parliamentary immunity, BNS reports. The motion passed with 101 votes in favour and none against or abstaining. Dawn of Nemunas MPs boycotted the vote. The move allows the court to continue hearing a…
Estonia’s Defence Ministry sees no need to halt the development of wind farms off the Estonian coast, Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur announced, ERR reports. He insisted that air and maritime surveillance issues related to offshore wind farm projects were manageable. Pevkur assured that concerns expressed by the Estonian Defence Forces (EDF) over the negative impact…
China hopes that the incoming new government in Lithuania will bring bilateral ties back to the right track, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said, China News Service reports. The spokesperson urged the new government to abide by Lithuania’s “political commitment” on diplomatic relations between the two countries and to uphold the so-called One China principle….