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,…
Ukraine’s President, Volodymyr Zelensky, has arrived in the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius, on a tour of Baltic States, ERR reports. The topics of discussion will be security, EU and NATO integration, cooperation on electronic warfare and drones, and coordinating European support for Ukraine. Zelensky expressed gratitude for the “uncompromising support” for Ukraine that the Baltic States…
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…
Germany’s Deutsche Bank is considering opening a service centre in Lithuania, Elijus Civilis, head of Lithuania’s state-run investment promotion agency, Invest Lithuania, confirmed, BNS reports. Civilis said that negotiations with Deutsche Bank were ongoing and that the bank was evaluating various options for possible operations in Lithuania. Deutsche Bank has not commented on its plans….
Lithuania’s Education Minister, Gintautas Jakstas, has proposed phasing out secondary education in Russian, following the Latvian and Estonian example, BNS reports. He suggests focusing on EU languages. The Ministry of Education is exploring ways to suspend Russian as a language of tuition, with a proposal expected soon. Jakstas emphasised that Russian schools would not be…
Ukraine’s National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NAZK) has added Lithuanian fish processor Viciunai Group to its list of “International Sponsors of War,” BNS reports. NAZK stated that Viciunai Group has continued production and hiring at its plant in Russia’s Kaliningrad region even after announcing that it was exiting Russia. Viciunai Group declined to comment on…
Lithuania experienced its least sunny month on record in December 2023, with an average of only 8.7 hours of sunshine, less than a third of the usual amount, LRT reports. This surpassed the previous record of 9.9 hours set in December 2018, according to the Lithuanian Hydrometeorological Service (LHMT). Vilnius only registered 2.9 hours and…
The Lithuanian Armed Forces (LGP) have received the first batch of Spanish-made EXPAL 120mm mortars, BNS reports. The Defence Ministry said that the modern high-quality weaponry provided a significant enhancement to Lithuania’s indirect fire support capabilities. The mortars have an effective range of up to eight kilometres. Lithuania signed a EUR 9.8mn procurement contract with…