Estonia granted international protection to altogether 2,107 foreigners in 2022, which was up from the usual yearly average of around 50, according to data from the Ministry of Culture, ERR reports. The number of applications for international protection totalled 2,940, which was up from the usual 100. Also, Estonia granted temporary protection to 41,639 Ukrainian…
Lithuania is assembling a coalition of countries to help Ukraine’s demining efforts, Defence Minister Arvydas Anusauskas announced, BNS reports. He said that besides Lithuania, the coalition now included Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, and soon Denmark. The minister invited other countries to join with their instructors and equipment. The demining mission will operate in territories liberated…
Joint policy coordination among the three Baltic States was crucial in the current geopolitical situation, Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics stated, LETA reports. Speaking during an official visit to Lithuania, Rinkevics noted that Latvia and Lithuania shared common interests in terms of EU and NATO policy, strengthening security and defence capabilities, ensuring energy security and independence,…
Latvia donates around 70% of cars seized from drunk drivers to Ukraine, the State Revenue Service (VID) announced, LSM reports. The government has sent a total of 151 confiscated vehicles to Ukraine since March 2023. The local charity organisation, Agendum, provides for the delivery of most of the cars to Ukrainian government institutions.
Canada’s Foreign Minister, Mélanie Joly, has appointed Laird Hindle as the country’s first ever ambassador to Estonia, ERR reports. Prior to his appointment, Hindle was Global Affairs Canada’s Deputy Director for Southern Africa. Joly said that the appointment would advance Canada’s strategic diplomatic presence in the Baltic States. She cited Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and…
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda urged Latin American countries not to be “seduced” by Russian propaganda, BNS reports. Speaking at a summit of leaders from the EU and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) in Brussels, Nauseda pointed out that Russia was “not a victim, but the aggressor” in the war in Ukraine….
Lithuania’s Klaipeda State Seaport could ship around 10 million tonnes of Ukrainian grain per year, CEO Algis Latakas announced, BNS reports. However, the logistics of transporting the grain to the port remained complicated, he noted. If the issue of logistics was solved, the port could begin handling Ukrainian grain today, Latakas stated. Earlier, Transport Minister…
Estonia continues to push for an EU-wide ban on Russian tourists, ERR reports. Andres Siplane, chief sanctions expert at the Foreign Ministry, said that discussions on a wider ban on Russian tourism continued almost every day behind closed doors. He said that Estonia was talking to Georgia about the issue as well. However, it is…
Latvia’s Latvians and Russian-speakers continue to hold completely opposite views on the war in Ukraine, according to an SKDS poll for Ir magazine, LSM reports. The survey showed that 78% of Latvian-speakers supported Ukraine in April 2023, while only 27% of Russian-speakers did so. In mixed households, just 32% supported Ukraine, which was down from…