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Last week it belonged to the family of the mayor of Kaunas Viciunai group remained silent after being labeled an “international war sponsor” by Ukraine.
The new head of the Orthodox Church of Constantinople arrives in Vilnius
Estonian cleric of the Patriarchate of Constantinople Justinus Kiviloo arrived in Lithuania on Friday, January 5, to lead a new Orthodox church structure that is in the final stages of construction. The head of the Patriarchate of Constantinople is expected to lead the first service on Saturday, January 6th. Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople announced his intention to establish a church structure in Lithuania during his visit to Lithuania last March. The move followed the patriarch’s decision to return five former priests of the Lithuanian Orthodox archdiocese to the Moscow Patriarchate. Five Orthodox priests, now part of the new exarchate, were accused of canonical violations and suspended from their positions by Metropolitan Innokenty of the Lithuanian Orthodox Church in 2022. The Patriarchate of Constantinople then decided that the priests were suspended because of their stance on the Russian invasion of Ukraine, not for violating church rules.
The Prime Minister calls for discussion about defense funding
Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė has invited party leaders, business people and trade union representatives to discuss where funding for national defense will come from in two years, when the current banking solidarity tax ends. The Prime Minister’s letter, written on Thursday, January 4, is addressed to all political party leaders in the Seimas, the chairmen of several parliamentary committees, the defense and finance ministers, the heads of the National Security Service (NGS), trade union leaders, entrepreneurs and employers’ associations. The presidential office was also informed about the meeting. Šimonīte states that the creation of an army division and changes in the existing conscription system will require additional funding of approximately 0.4-0.5% of GDP from 2025, in addition to the current funding of 2.52% of GDP provided by the policy was agreed upon by the parties. The idea of a defense tax was put forward by the Chairman of the Seimas National Security and Defense Committee, Laurynas Kasčiūnas.
The Minister of Education is considering the possibility of gradually dissolving Russian schools
Lithuania could gradually stop teaching in Russian, but minority schools where teaching takes place in the languages of European Union (EU) countries or countries friendly to Lithuania could continue, Minister of Education, Science and Sports Gintautas Jakštas announced on Thursday, January 4th). According to him, the ministry is currently studying ways to stop the use of Russian as a language of instruction and a proposal is expected in the coming weeks. According to the minister, the question arises as to why the language of an unfriendly country is used as the language of instruction in general education schools in Lithuania. In addition, teaching all subjects in the minority language is harmful to children as it makes it more difficult for them to integrate into society.
Viciunai group remains silent after being labeled an “international war sponsor” by Ukraine
The group of companies is owned by Visvaldas Matijošaitis, the mayor of Kaunas, Lithuania’s second largest city, and his business partner Liudas Skierus Viciunai group, The company, which produces and sells seafood and other food products, declined on Thursday, January 4, to comment on a recent decision by Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Agency to list the company as an international war sponsor as it continues to operate in Russia is. According to the Ukrainian agency, the Lithuanian concern “operates as usual in Russia, without laying off employees, successfully defends the Russian brand and continues to employ people in its subsidiaries, thereby supporting the labor market in Russia.” The owners of the Lithuanian concern claim that they have been unable to sell their business in the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad since Russia invaded Ukraine in spring 2022.
Former Lithuanian president calls dispute over ambassador “unnecessary”
On Wednesday, January 3, former President of Lithuania Valdas Adamkus announced that the ongoing public dispute between the Presidential Office and the Foreign Ministry over the appointment of ambassadors was unnecessary. “I think that the ongoing controversy is not about defending or promoting one’s own position. “It seems to me that this is an unnecessary public discussion,” Adamkus said in an interview with the public broadcaster LRT’s “Theme of the Day” program. The Foreign Ministry and the Presidential Office are arguing over who should become Lithuania’s ambassador to Poland. The President’s Office maintains that the candidates nominated by the Foreign Ministry so far are unsuitable and recently proposed changing the current rules for selecting the ministry’s ambassadors. Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis claims that President Gitanas Nausėda did not name the candidates he could have nominated to the relevant Seimas committee. The ministry sees the President’s recent request to provide information on the selection of candidates for the position of Lithuanian ambassador as a possible violation of constitutional powers.
The police found more than two kilograms of cocaine in the car
In the southern Lithuanian city of Marijampole, police have seized more than two kilograms of cocaine, an illegal firearm and an SUV stolen in France, Marijampole district police said on Wednesday, January 3. The large quantity of drugs was confiscated during a sting operation carried out in collaboration with officers from the State Border Guard Service. During the operation, a car driven by a resident of Jurbarka was stopped Mercedes Benz, which police searched and found cocaine hidden inside. Meanwhile, in Jurbarka, police arrested another local resident who was also involved in cocaine smuggling. After spotting the police officers, the man tried to escape but failed when officers chased him and used physical force to arrest him.
Lithuania will purchase multifunctional radar systems from the Netherlands
The Lithuanian Ministry of Defense will acquire multifunctional artillery radar systems Thales GM200MM/C from a Dutch company Thales Netherlands, the ministry announced on Wednesday, January 3rd. The artillery radar systems purchased by Lithuania would significantly increase the capabilities of the artillery, said Defense Minister Arvydas Anušauskas, adding that the purpose of these radars is to determine the positions of the enemy’s indirect fire systems based on the trajectory of the fired projectiles and ensure for rapid response to enemy fire. The agreement signed by the defense ministries of Lithuania and the Netherlands also provides for cooperation in the maintenance of multifunctional radars.
The Prime Minister demands that Lithuania should postpone discussions about conscripting women into the army
Prime Minister Ingrīda Šimonīte believes that the discussion about compulsory conscription of women into the army should be postponed until the future. “The discussion about whether young women should also be drafted into the army is not so easy, because for many this would mean significant changes in the cultural environment,” Šimonite told public broadcaster LRT in a statement on Tuesday, January 2nd. published interview. In mid-December, the government approved changes to compulsory military service proposed by the Ministry of Defense, thereby creating the legal requirements for general conscription for men. The proposals still need to be approved by Parliament.
The migration service finds citizens who have family ties to people sanctioned by the EU
The Migration Service announced on Tuesday, January 2, that the investigations it conducted revealed that several Lithuanian citizens have family ties to people subject to EU sanctions. The investigation was launched after it emerged that Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich’s two children, Anna and Arkady, hold Lithuanian passports and may have helped their father evade international sanctions. According to the Interior Ministry, other authorities will investigate whether they are involved in sanctions evasion schemes once the migration agency has established how many relatives of those subject to EU sanctions have Lithuanian citizenship. Last year, parliament amended the citizenship law to allow the revocation of Lithuanian citizenship, which is exceptionally granted to dual citizens if they publicly express support for a country that threatens the security interests of Lithuania or its allies.
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