Defence
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Global LT
Foreign affairs
Lithuania opens OECD membership talks, expects to join in 2-3 years
Lithuania on Thursday officially opened its membership talks with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), which currently includes 34 developed countries around the globe. […]
Politics
Observers say Lithuanian president’s annual address too vague on foreign policy
Political observers say there were not surprised by Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaitė‘s statements on foreign policy she made in her State of the National Address on Thursday. The president’s observations were realistic, but at times too abstract, they say. […]
Uncategorized
Lithuanian court clears former OMON officers of crimes against humanity charges
Vilnius Regional Court on Thursday cleared former commanders of the Soviet special militia unit OMON, Boleslov Makutynovich and Vladimir Razvodov, of war crimes and crimes against humanity in 1991. […]
Politics
Opposition on president’s address: She does not expect problems to be solved by this government
Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaitė did not say much about the government’s work in her State of the Nation Address on Thursday as she hardly expects anything from it, the Seimas opposition says. […]
European Union
EU commissioner: Central Europe happy to accept EU money, but reluctant to help with refugee crisis
Lithuania’s unwillingness to accept refugees that are flooding Southern European countries shows a lack of solidarity with other EU member states, Lithuanian EU Commissioner Vytenis Povilas Andriukaitis says. […]
Culture
Lithuania wants to get on UNESCO Executive Board
Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Linas Linkevičius informed Irina Bokova, director general of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, in Paris on Wednesday of Lithuania’s wish to join the UNESCO Executive Board in 2015-2019. […]
Society
Sunken An-2 to be inspected by divers, no salvaging plans
The An-2 plane, which crashed and sank in the Baltic Sea in mid-May, will be lifted up from the bottom of the sea for divers to be able to inspect it, Lithuanian Transport and Communications Minister Rimantas Sinkevičius said on Wednesday, adding that there are currently no plans to salvage the aircraft. […]
Society
Lithuania might violate human rights convention by legalizing opposite-sex partnership only, expert says
By treating opposite-sex and same-sex partnerships differently, Lithuania might violate the European Convention of Human Rights, Vilnius University Professor of Law Vytautas Mizaras says. […]
Foreign affairs
Lithuanian foreign minister rejects predecessor’s criticism about Ukraine as “populism”
Lithuania’s Social Democratic Foreign Minister Linas Linkevičius has rejected criticism levied on him by his concervative predecessor Audronius Ažubalis, who said that during its presidency in the UN Security Council Lithuania failed to initiate an appeal to the International Court of Justice over Russia‘s annexation of the Ukrainian region of Crimea. […]
Defence
NATO jets scrambled from Šiauliai twice Tuesday over Russian airplanes
NATO air policing fighter-jets were scrambled twice from the Lithuanian Aviation Base in Šiauliai on Tuesday to accompany Russian warplanes flying above the Baltic Sea. […]
Politics
Lithuanian parliament likely to put off labour code reform to autumn
Lithuania’s parliament will probably run out of time in the spring session to discuss the new social model involving a series of controversial proposals for more flexible labour relations, Parliamentary Speaker Loreta Graužinienė said on Wednesday. […]
Defence
Lithuania can learn from Israel’s experience in cyber security, interior minister says
Lithuania’s Interior Minister Saulius Skvernelis, who is currently on a visit in Israel, says that Lithuania could learn from the country’s experience in ensuring cyber security, as well as protection of infrastructure, embassies and important persons. […]
Society
An-2 scans complete airplane to be lifted from Baltic Sea Friday
Experts are examining video footage of the An-2 airplane sunken to the Baltic seafloor and, with proper preparations completed, lifting operations may be started on Friday, says Algimantas Rasčius, CEO of the state-run company Oro Navigacija (Air Navigation). […]
Foreign affairs
Lithuania opening official OECD membership talks
A delegation headed by Lithuania’s Prime Minister Algirdas Butkevičius left for Paris on Wednesday to open membership negotiations with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). […]
Defence
1 of 3 new rescue helicopters arrive in Lithuania Air Force base
The new helicopter Eurocopter AS365N3+ Dauphin of the Lithuanian Air Force landed at the Šiauliai airbase on Tuesday, the Ministry of National Defence said. […]
Society
Montvydaitė proposed to head Lithuania’s ethnic minority department
Lithuania’s Consul in the Polish town of Sejny, Vida Montvydaitė, has been proposed to head the Ethnic Minority and Emigration Department Lithuania will restore as of July, according to a draft resolution of the Ministry of Culture. […]
Politics
33 Lithuanian MPs sign interpellation against defence minister
Thirty-three members of the opposition at the Lithuanian parliament, Seimas, have signed an interpellation against National Defence Minister Juozas Olekas. […]
Society
Inspection results for sunken Lithuanian An-2 plane due on Tuesday afternoon
A team of specialists started inspecting the sunken An-2 plane that crashed on May 16 with two pilots aboard while flying over the Baltic Sea from Sweden to Lithuania. The inspection results are due on Tuesday afternoon, says Edvinas Ivanauskas, director of the firm Mammoet Baltic which is carrying out the operation. […]