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According to the Prime Minister, Lithuania has never been safer despite tensions with neighboring Belarus and Russia.
Ingrida Simonyte told the Financial Times that Belarus had been forced to land a Ryanair flight between Athens and Vilnius and caught a dissident on board, saying “you can’t rule anything out” and “must be ready for anything” with the president’s regime. Alexander Lukashenko.
NATO has it strengthen security Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Poland since Russia annexed Crimea in 2014. National battalions have been stationed in each country, led by the likes of the US and Germany, and the air force has increased.
“Paradoxically, Lithuania has never been safer than it is now. Unfortunately the region is becoming more unstable than it was 10 years ago.
“Some things that only he could have imagined have happened, such as redrawing the borders of countries,” Simonyt said.
Lithuania has become one of the defenders of liberal democracy, with Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya and Roman Protasevich, an activist journalist arrested last Sunday, attracted dissidents.
He has repeatedly warned Western countries of the dangers of being lenient with Russia and has faced China in recent months, calling repression of the Uyghur minority a genocide and withdrawing from the 17 + 1 group in Central and Eastern European countries and Beijing.
The Lithuanian Prime Minister said that it was essential for the EU to react quickly to the forced landing of Belarus, as Minsk’s strategy was “the complete oppression of all the freedoms we hold in the EU”.
Simonyt added that the EU should consider “all kinds” penalties”Against Lukashenko’s regime, including various sectors of his economy, his ability to raise money in the financial markets and Lithuania had long opposed his participation in the Ostrovets nuclear power plant near Vilnius.
Simonyt would not discuss the measures being taken to protect Belarusian dissidents and the key ally of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny in Lithuania.
“We all know history novichok in the United Kingdom. I am afraid that they are regimes that exclude nothing. We remain vigilant, we remain cautious, ”he added.
The Baltic states have reassured the security commitments made by NATO and the US in recent years, as well as the record that they have met the target of spending more than 2 percent in defense of the military alliance.
But they have Nordic neighbors in Sweden, Norway and Denmark he sounded the alarm On Russia’s activity in the Baltic Sea mixture ra increase their spending.
Simonyt said more needs to be done in the Baltic, especially when it comes to strengthening air security. “We are much safer and better prepared than ever. But it’s not the end of the story. This world based on covenants, values, and rules is being reorganized a bit. That means we still need to strengthen more cases in front of our NATO partners, ”he said.
Last in the US waiving penalties In the Nord Stream 2 pipeline that will bring Russian gas to the Baltic Sea, and with strong German support, Simonyte warned that the Allies have warned of economic interests that have caused “blinding eyes to some unpleasant things.”
He said the US and Germany may think they were strong enough to resolve conflicts with Russia on a bilateral basis.
“Maybe this is it [justified] but it is important not to deviate from basic values. You are increasing your dependence on countries that are not like you, ”he said.
Lithuania has also been subject to financial scrutiny in recent weeks following the FT reported German prosecutors suspect use of Lithuanian fintech to steal more than 100 million euros Wirecard before it fell last year.
Simonyte said Lithuania “would not become a country blind eye on some questionable activities in exchange for having more players in the market ”.
He said there was no need for more regulations, but perhaps more resources were needed, especially for the financial police.
The Lithuanian central bank paid close attention to countries like Russia and Belarus trying to exploit the financial system by carefully examining the risk of ownership, money source and “links to regimes”.
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